If the Nikolai Ancient Civilians Sitting 2 set is the Roman equivalent of the jeans and T-shirt class then this one contains the jacket and tie brigade. The citizens here are all smartly dressed, consciously announcing their elevated status in society. The men are wearing what is a symbol of the Roman empire - the toga. The toga was expensive and difficult to put on, and only male citizens were permitted to wear it. An elegant but not very practical article, it was a powerful status symbol, and it was the only form of dress that citizens were supposed to wear for public occasions, so the forums and other places would have seen many men dressed thus. On these figures the toga seems to be correctly worn, and the men also wear closed-toe shoes which were the correct footwear when dressed in this manner.

The ladies are wearing the female equivalent of the men's tunic, which was a similar garment but extended to the feet, as here. Both sleeved and sleeveless versions were worn, and both can be seen in this set. In general women also wore a stola once they were married, and this was often worn to show how respectable and upright the wearer was. However it was not a particularly flattering garment, and many chose not to wear it - all the woman here have chosen to do without one. They do all wear the palla though, a long cloak that was worn when out of doors that again implied respectability. Woman relied on jewellery and hairstyles to vary their appearance, and the hairstyles on show here are a good selection.

The wicker chair is a surprise, but it is a real treat too as it is beautifully detailed, with every tiny strand clearly sculpted. The soft mould means there are no blind spots either - the detail is equally sharp on all surfaces. The box artwork shows one of the women using it, and indeed their togas mean the men are too large to do so.

As always the detail is excellent. Obviously the folds in the clothing are all important here, and everything looks natural and realistic. Without a trace of flash, they achieve some good lively poses (such as the woman clapping her hands) without recourse to multiple parts thanks again to the flexible mould. We liked most of the poses, including the man showing a thumbs up, but the woman with her fist next to her head baffles us. However, any public event is likely to attract crowds from all parts of society, so many of these figures would be found at the Games, the forum and so forth. This is another essential set for any Roman crowd scene.