Most surviving depictions of what is generally thought of as the typical parthian hairstyle tend to be crude, and some of them I've only seen drawings of. The hair is usually portrayed as kind of "poofy" at the sides, which often comes across as exagerated in surviving art. Most of these "poofy hair" depictions may be from the later Parthian era, and therefore not exactly what Plutarch was referring to. Here are two good examples:<br>
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www.thebritishmuseum.ac.u...on=summary<br>
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<em>A clay plaque, 1st – 2nd century AD, from the British Museam.</em><br>
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www.thebritishmuseum.ac.u...on=summary<br>
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<em>A leaded bronze belt buckle showing a Parthian horseman, 2nd – 3rd century AD, also from the British Museum.</em><br>
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One of the best depictions of this style can be seen on a plaque from Dura Europas, dated to the 2nd - 3rd century. I'll see if I can dig up a photo later...<br>
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This may be the later Parthian hair style as it would appear without a hat or headband:<br>
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www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho...1.72.1.htm<br>
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An older Parthian hair style can be seen here:<br>
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parthia.com/images/wool_face.jpg<br>
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<em>Fragment of Parthian wool embroidery dated to the 1st century B.C. - 1st century A.D.</em><br>
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This style, along with the mustache and headband, is similar to the hairstyle on the bust I posted above. This style can also be seen in later Sarmatian and early Kushan art. Parthian style (hair, clothes, etc.) seem to have had a strong influence on the neighboring peoples of the Middle East and Central Asia.<br>
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Gregg<br>
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