Why did the Romans shave their beards ?

[Crispvs]

It's a long time since I read Bello Gallica, but I seem to remember Caesar saying that the Gauls shaved all the parts of their bodies apart from the hair on their heads and their moustaches.<br>
<br>
Crispvs <p></p><i></i>

[Cacaius]

I would like to refresh this topic a little bit.

Do we know anything about "shaving beards" regulations in army, before "hadrian's new fashion" ?

[Arthes]

Greetings,
it was the Romans who wrote about the Celts using their moustaches as ale strainers...maybe it was just the British and Irish Celts who had all the hair!
Diodorus wrote "Very tall in stature, with rippling muscles under clear white skin. Their hair is blond, but not naturally so: they bleach it... washing it in lime and combing it back from their foreheads. They look like wood-demons, their hair thick and shaggy like a horse's mane. Some of them are clean-shaven, but others... shave their cheeks but leave a moustache that covers the whole mouth... they wear brightly colored and embroidered shirts, with trousers called bracae and cloaks fastened at the shoulder with a brooch, heavy in winter, light in summer. These cloaks are striped or checkered in design, with the separate checks close together and in various colours."
Celtic slaves, as far as I know, had their hair cut off to deprive them of what was the symbol of freedom..as well as taking their torcs away.
I think the mullet was based on a Celtic hair style.
regards
Arthes

[Tarbicus]

I think the mullet was based on a Celtic hair style.

Air guitar has Celtic roots?! hock:

[Tasciavanous]

Hi I thought that Diodorus was Greek?
But the section you quote in your post is used to justify "Celt" reenactors running around looking like they have just ram raided a tartan shop when in fact it is specifically cloaks that are checkered or striped in design the shirts are brightly coloured and embroidered makes you think doesn't it?
The mullet is a pre-Roman native iron age peoples style (I loath and despise the word Celtic to describe anything other than a linguistic group)??
Still might explain why some of Ireland's top sports men are still to be seen in full mulleted glory!

[Muzzaguchi]

Hi,

I think there is a stratagem attributed to Iphicrates which advises that soldiers should be clean shaven so as to deny their enemies any hair to grab on to . I think (I will dig up the refereneces) that there may also be a similar stratagem for Alexander and I recall something about forelocks too. These are in Polyaenus and Frontinus at least.

Sorry to be so vague.

Cheers

Murray

[Arthes]

Hi I thought that Diodorus was Greek?
But the section you quote in your post is used to justify "Celt" reenactors running around looking like they have just ram raided a tartan shop when in fact it is specifically cloaks that are checkered or striped in design the shirts are brightly coloured and embroidered makes you think doesn't it?
The mullet is a pre-Roman native iron age peoples style (I loath and despise the word Celtic to describe anything other than a linguistic group)??
Still might explain why some of Ireland's top sports men are still to be seen in full mulleted glory!

Greetings,
yes he is Greek, born in Sicily...
I often think that some of the tartans worn look a little too modern and overdone...hock:
I wonder what the embroidered designs on the tunics were like, if anything like the metalwork, they must have looked beautiful...!
regards
Arthes

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

funny no one mentiones the Romans,Greeks, and Egyptians also shaved their pubes so they were smoothies! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

M.VIB.M.

[varia cassia]

Maybe the Roman shaved in general shaved for the same reasons as the Egyptians - cleanliness - lice was and is still a comman problem.

[Arthes]

funny no one mentiones the Romans,Greeks, and Egyptians also shaved their pubes so they were smoothies! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

M.VIB.M.

How did you know.....studying sculptures or mummies? :wink: :lol:

[Peroni]

So for total authenticity, all us reenactors should book a session at the depilatrix for a full B S &C wax??? hock:

[Arthes]

Thinking about a certain quote by a Spartan.....about their short swords being long enough to reach the hearts of their enemies.
The Spartans had both long hair and beards, if the enemy was close enough to try and grab either.....the sword would reach their heart easily... :wink:
Would the popularity of clean shaven chins have developed with the use of helmets that were tied under the chin.......?
regards
Arthes

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

How did you know.....studying sculptures or mummies? :wink: :lol:

Statues seem to fall over whenever i get near them so no...

Mummies arent worth studying since unwrapping a mummy is much less fun than unrwapping any re enactress..

Yes i would advise every Roman and Egyptian re enactor to go to the epilatrix.!!!

Greek re enactors are a special breed.......

Greek re enactressess are in clear violation!!! of the position held by women in Greek society, so if they do Amazonian re enactment, yes....

Hoplite re enactment... well.... not really!

their place is behind the stove or on the land if you want to be authentic. a Roman Matronae had more power than any Greek woman in ancient society. this is a historic remark, not a sexist one.

here follows a sexist one.... or a few actually hahahaha...

Spartan males need long hair, but not to pull the sword into their harts.... rather to pull a certain opening to a certain protruding organ.

which reminds me of a classical Roman author (please tell me which one it was again) who stated the following:

Aah, wretched are the Greek.... If they cannot have their women, they revert to their men, if they cannot revert to their men they revert to their boys. and if they cannot revert to their boys they still have their goats.

(or was it sheep?)

anyway... nuff said........

:lol:

M.VIB.M.

[Matthew]

Nobody mentioned the etymological significance of 'Barbarian' with reference to this topic yet? Or Julian the Apostate's entertaining tract 'The Beard Haters'? Recommended reading as far as I am concerned...

Suffice to say that beards could be portrayed both negatively and positively. I suspect that the vogue for being clean shaven was indeed partly rooted in good hygiene and probably also related to the high regard Romans had for the appearance of youthfulness. Identity is probably key.

[Cornelius Quintus]

Does anybody know why the Romans shaved off their beards ?

Perhaps because their hair continued growing again and again? :lol: