Romans, unlike Greeks, did not appreciate nudity and tried to be modest in public. Only certain situations justified showing one’s body, such as, of course, going to public baths or practicing sports, and on rare occasions, during a trial, as Manius Aquilius did in 95 BC when his lawyer, Marcus Antonius, successfully defended him against maladministration as relayed in Cicero’s In Verrem:
“The oration of Marcus Antonius […] at the trial of Marcus Aquillius; who, as he was not only skilful as an orator, but bold also, when he had nearly finished his speech, took hold of Marcus Aquillius and placed him in the sight of every one, and tore his robe away from his chest, in order that the Roman people and the judges might see his scars”
(Cic.…
