Beards in Ancient Rome

[guy]

(Nero as portrayed in the movie “Quo Vadis”)

Hadrian (117-138 AD) was the first Roman Emperor to routinely wear a beard. This probably reflected his admiration of the earlier Greek philosophers.
 

“In ancient Greece, beards represented wisdom and status. Statues of high ranking officials and gods would show a full, flowing beard and Zeus and Heracles were often depicted with massive beards. Ancient Greek men, not immune to vanity, would use heated tongs to curl their beards, and contemporary statues and coins both inspired and reflected men’s beards. 
 

Alexander the Great, however, strongly encouraged his soldiers to shave their beards, presumably to give an enemy less to grab onto. Until that time — which historians date to Sept. 30, 331 B.C., when Alexander the great prepared his soldiers for a key battle for control of Asia — a cleanly shaven face had been a sign of youth or even effeminacy. Alexander would also fashion his image into that of Heracles, as youthful and beardless, and expect his soldiers to do the same.

Romans were slow to adopt the beard. Nero was the first Roman emperor who is depicted sporting a beard.

(Source Wildwinds.com)
 

Here is an interesting video discussing Ancient Roman hairstyles:
 

 

 

https://www.coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/a-diversity-of-beards-on-coins-ancient-to-modern.html

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by guy

[Novosedoff]

4 hours ago, guy said:

(Nero as portrayed in the movie “Quo Vadis”)

Is that Peter Ustinov, if I ain't mistaken? 

Quote

Alexander the Great, however, strongly encouraged his soldiers to shave their beards, presumably to give an enemy less to grab onto. 

Alexander himself is often depicted with a fluffy fleece on his head,  while any former wrestler would know that it's more convenient to grab onto the head than the beard (that's why many professional wrestlers shave their heads, just google for photos to see). Should Alexander be that concerned about the safety of his soldiers, he would have ordered his soldiers to shave their heads as well 🙂 

[guy]

On 2/10/2022 at 11:23 AM, Novosedoff said:

Is that Peter Ustinov, if I ain't mistaken? 

You are correct.

It's interesting that Nero, the greatest Hellenophile among the Emperors before Hadrian, probably wore a beard to emulate the Greeks he so admired. We commented before on the fact that Nero was still popular in the East even after his assassination.

 

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by guy