Roman hairstyles
Roman hairstyles changed over time and depended on gender, age, activity and social position. Imperial portraits help trace fashion, but do not represent every inhabitant of the Empire.
An elaborate hairstyle was not necessarily a wig, and a beard did not invariably indicate poverty or neglect. Hair and facial hair could shape a public image or express mourning, age and cultural preferences.
Men's hairstyles
Short hair and a clean-shaven face are common in Late Republican and Early Imperial portraits. The fashion did not begin at a single moment after the “conquest of Greece”, nor did it encompass all men.
A first shave could mark a transition to adulthood and involve dedication of the cut hair. There was no known universal requirement that every Roman begin shaving at twenty-one. A dated portrait and social context provide a better basis for reconstruction than one standard coming-of-age scheme.
Male portrait identified as Marcus Crassus, first century BCE. The identification is not certain.
Portrait of Julius Caesar, dated to the first century CE; an example of the portrayal of short male hair.
Male portrait labelled as Lucius Calpurnius, first century BCE–first century CE. The precise identification is unconfirmed.Literature mentions barbers, discomfort during shaving and jokes about hairstyles, but satire should not be turned into a routine followed throughout the Empire. The claim that Romans invariably shaved without hot water also requires evidence.
A beard could accompany mourning or a philosopher's image. Bearded imperial portraits became especially prominent from Hadrian onwards, so a beard cannot be treated as an exclusively low-status feature. Hair and beard arrangements should be matched to a particular period.
Portrait of Germanicus, early first century CE.
Portrait of Trajan, early second century CE.Women's hairstyles
Women's portraits show partings, buns, braids, waves and elaborate arrangements of curls. The nodus, a roll above the forehead, is known in Late Republican and Augustan imagery. High banks of curls are especially prominent in Flavian and Trajanic portraits, but several styles coexisted within a period.
Tutulus should not be used as a general name for every high hairstyle. Nor does a sculpted outline alone establish a wire framework. Pins, ribbons and stitching could hold hair in place; the particular technique depends on the selected arrangement.
Portrait of Livia Drusilla, wife of Augustus, early first century CE.
Bust of a young woman showing an elaborate hairstyle, second half of the first century CE.
Rear view of the bust of a young woman, showing the arrangement of her hair; second half of the first century CE.Ancient authors mention dyeing, lightening and curling hair, sometimes criticising them as excessive attention to appearance. Such criticism does not establish a Republican law banning hair dye for all women.
Accounts of particular women may be satirical or hostile. They should be distinguished from recipes and archaeological evidence. Hair colour in a modern portrait reconstruction is not itself proof of ancient colouring.
Portrait of Vibia Sabina, wife of Hadrian, early second century CE.
Fayum portrait showing a woman’s hairstyle, first–second century CE.
Portrait identified as Poppaea Sabina, wife of Nero, first century CE.Wigs
Wigs and added hair are attested in ancient texts, but their prevalence cannot be measured simply from a hairstyle's complexity. Natural hair could also produce high, stable arrangements. Experimental reconstruction has demonstrated the possibilities of sewing hair with needle and thread, without establishing one technique for every style.
A detachable marble hairpiece on a statue is not direct proof that its subject wore a wig: it belongs to the making or alteration of a portrait. Ancient appearance, sculptural construction and modern reconstruction provide different kinds of evidence.
Modern reconstruction of an elaborate Roman female hairstyle.Related topics
Literature and sources
- E. Bartman. Hair and the Artifice of Roman Female Adornment, 2001.
- J. Stephens. Ancient Roman Hairdressing: On (Hair)Pins and Needles, 2008.
- Kelly Olson. Dress and the Roman Woman. 2008.
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