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We've seen sculpture showing Romans clean shaven, sometimes with beards depending on what was in style at the time.
What did they use for a razor...what did they use as a lubricant (get your minds out of the gutter lol), and heck, what about a mirror?
I'd like to add a shaving kit to my loculus.
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Magnus/Matt
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I don't think there was a 'shaving kit' as such, and like the early modern Europeans, most Romans probably only met our standards of 'clean shaven' every few days. The whole process is not thought to have been pleasant.
What they used were shaving knives - the ones I've seen have fairly broad, outwardly curved blades set into a metal handle along the back so you could use them like a scraper (has anyone got a picture? This is not easy to explain). These things do every now and then show up in digs, so they appear to have been fairly common.
As to lubricant, IIRC they softened up the area with hot water. Mirrors were available, made of polished metal, usually round, most surviving examples being relatively small. You got the kind with handles like modern hand mirrors and a kind set into wooden or similar 'box' like a makeup mirror. However, they were so strongly associated with the female sphere it may have been a problem for a man to carry one in public.
Most Romans likely used the services of a barber, the rich of their household slaves, the poor and middle class commercially.
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Volker Bach
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Thanks! Hopefully someone will post a pic of one of these shaving knives.
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Magnus/Matt
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Aye, I'm interested in pics as well. Is it really a wonder that beards became popular? I'm sure a dry shave was definately possible and probable or maybe on top of water a little grease from cooking. They were soldiers after all. To those used to it, a dry shave with a good blade is not really that big of a deal so its not like they really had to have a lubricant. I don't see soldiers wasting olive oil or bothering with carrying too much of an expansive grooming kit with them. A neat appearance was somewhat important, but carrying around five pounds of extra supplies isn't necessary or desirable. Don't quote me on it though. I just can't picture hardened legionaires carrying around unnecessary (modern ideas of necessary need nor apply) supplies like dandies for their own comforts.
Derek D. Estabrook
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I've been trying to post a pic for about an hour but can't get it loaded.
I found another one that's from ca. 100 a.d. (nuts ! It's too big,too.)
Look on
http://www.hr-replikate.de/englisch/index.html
He's got one. Got to the site then catalog-Roman-other items. That's the prettiest one.
I Googled Roman razor and found a couple moe nice examples.
Sorry, guys, I tried.
Andy Booker
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TARBICvS/Jim Bowers
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Thanks, Tarbicus.
Andy Booker
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Antonius, you can d/l IrfanView for free, and use it to resize jpg files, crop, edit, adjust color, etc. IMO it's one of the best pieces of freeware (but Mr. Irfan will accept donations) for manipulating digital pictures out there.
www.irfanview.com
Check it out.
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(David Wills)
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Wow, I can't believe the variety of shapes. Do you think this would be a manly but plain style of razor used by a soldier?
http://www.hotlinecy.com/Antiquities/200046720901.jpg
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Magnus/Matt
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Magnus, that could be a spoon for someone on a low-calorie soup diet...
M. Demetrius Abicio
(David Wills)
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Museum Reprductions in Britain sells a handle for a razor for 3.99 GBP
http://www.museumreproductions.co.uk/images/no387.jpg
Cordially,
Michael
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Michael
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Quote:Magnus, that could be a spoon for someone on a low-calorie soup diet...
Well, that'd be pretty handy. After you're done eating your soup, you can shave with it. Maybe the pointy end is for cleaning out your ears. 8)
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