03-21-2010, 04:20 PM
Lacus Curtius has a page on beards in antiquity. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/R ... Barba.html
For the period that the OP is concerned with, once a Roman male had his toga virilis it would seem that he was expected to shave. Non-Roman practices were, IIRC, the Batavians who grew their beards until they made their first kill (am I correct on that, or was it just after their first battle?). Given the fairly strict social rules and expectations of Roman appearance I'd suggest going without a beard if you're doing an early Imperial impression, although I'd dare say rough shaven would be okay.
For the period that the OP is concerned with, once a Roman male had his toga virilis it would seem that he was expected to shave. Non-Roman practices were, IIRC, the Batavians who grew their beards until they made their first kill (am I correct on that, or was it just after their first battle?). Given the fairly strict social rules and expectations of Roman appearance I'd suggest going without a beard if you're doing an early Imperial impression, although I'd dare say rough shaven would be okay.
TARBICvS/Jim Bowers
A A A DESEDO DESEDO!
A A A DESEDO DESEDO!
