I was trimming Hubby’s beard when I wondered how people in the middle ages trimmed their beards. They don’t look shaggy in paintings from the era. Then I wondered about the ancient Romans and ancient Egyptians. Their artwork has lots of clean-shaven guys in it. Did they use scissors? A straight blade? Something only archaeologists recognize? I had to know.
It turns out most haircare websites have the answers. I checked out some more mainstream sources and found that they all agreed. Let’s start at the beginning.
Stone Age – Despite museum dioramas that show shaggy cavemen, cave art shows early humans as clean-shaven. Around 100,000 years ago, they used clamshells to pull out unwanted hair. About 60,000 years ago, sharpened clamshells or flint were used like razors.
Ancient Egypt – Egypt was a hot place, and complete hairlessness for both men and women was common. This also kept lice under control. They would use metal razors made from copper. Interestingly, They often wore wigs to keep the sun off their heads, and the pharaohs had fake beards.
Ancient Greece – Thanks to Zeus and other gods, beards were common among Greek men and were a point of pride. However, that changed during the time of Alexander the Great. He instructed his soldiers to shave so that the enemy couldn’t grab their beards during a fight. Razors were made from iron and looked a lot like razors used today.
Ancient Rome – Shaving was a big deal in ancient Rome. The first time young men shaved was at a “coming into adulthood party.” Barbershops, called tonsors, were a place to get a shave and share gossip. Shaving became a social event. Unlike other cultures, Romans took their shaving to the next level. A pumice stone was used to rub off the stubble, and novacila removed the hair. Perfumes and oils were then applied to soften the skin. If you were high up in society, a barber would visit your home. Because of this convenience, the richest and most powerful men had the least amount of hair.
I’m surprised at how early shaving became a thing and how little it has changed over the millenniums. Sure, we don’t use pumice stones today, but most of us still use razors like the ancient Greeks. Let’s be grateful we don’t have to use clamshells.