Ancient Beards, Mustaches and Sideburns

Hi all,

I searched and didn't see a thread dedicated to great ancient facial hair... So here we are!

A new Quintillus with a sweet handlebar mustache and sideburns:


Quintillus Antoninianus, 270 AD, Antoninianus, Rome mint.
IMP CM AVR CL QVINTILLVS AVG, radiate, draped bust right
FORTVNA REDVX, Fortuna standing left holding rudder on globe and cornucopiae,
Z in right field.
RIC 20

Maximian with a nicely trimmed neck-beard and trucker mustache:


Maximianus AE Follis of Carthage. AD 299-303. IMP MAXIMIANVS P F AVG, laureate head right (large head type) / SALVIS AVGG ET CAESS FEL KART, Carthage standing front, looking left with fruits in both hands. Mintmark B. Cohen 510; RIC VI Carthage 31b; Sear 13306.

Finally (for now), Tacitus with the "I like to be clean-shaven but still need to keep my neck warm" neck-beard


Tacitus, 276 AD, AE silvered antoninianus. Lyons. IMP CL TACITVS AVG, radiate, draped, cuirassed bust right / SALVS PVBLICA, Salus standing right, feeding serpent in arms. C-star across fields. RIC V (1) 58.

Let's see your great ancient facial hair (and especially awesome hairdos)!

Josh

 

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Here's a drachm (left) and tetradrachm (right) of the Parthian king Vologases V (191- 208 AD). In a previous thread, I compared his hairstyle to a French poodle. Decide for yourself:

 

Here's the UGLY Tacitus neck beard!

 

17- or 18-year-old Gordian III with the "peach fuzz" mutton-chops:

 

This one is the just got out of the shower wet beard type.

 

Caracalla curly neck-beard:

 

Then, there's the unfortunate pseudo-beard and pseudo-moustache when the silvering wears away from a woman's portrait. Poor Severina!

 

Lucius the Gnarly



Pssst, hey buddy ... I'm lookin' to score myself some sweet home-grown

 

Awesome Thread!!!

 

Welcome, Merlin

 

Fun thread! I have to admit that the facial hair was at least partially the reason I bought these...

Marcus Aurelius rocking The Philosopher:


Constantius Chlorus refusing to look exactly the same as his fellow Tetrarchs with the addition of some beard curls:


S̶a̶n̶t̶a̶ Postumus and his wonderful beard (on both sides of the coin):

 

I love that Marcus Aurelius AE. Wonderful patina and excellent style!

This thread is too fun! How about Julian II and his "I'm so hip, there might be a man-bun under this helmet" beard?

 

Nice! We really can't forget Julian II, who was so injured by the Christian community of Antioch making fun of his unfashionably pagan-y beard that he was prompted to write the satire, Misopogon ("Beard-hater").

Here he's writing about his face:
"For though nature did not make this any too handsome or well-favoured or give it the bloom of youth, I myself out of sheer perversity and ill-temper have added to it this long beard of mine, to punish it, as it would seem, for this very crime of not being handsome by nature. For the same reason I put up with the lice that scamper about in it as though it were a thicket for wild beasts. As for eating greedily or drinking with my mouth wide open, it is not in my power; for I must take care, I suppose, or before I know it I shall eat up some of my own hairs along with my crumbs of bread".

Instructive .

 

This portrait of Octavian shows long sideburns and, very atypically, a distinct and unmistakable mustache:

 

I like those issues of Octavian like Volodya's that show the twerp trying to grow facial hair. This one, issued under Marc Antony, clearly show's "the boy" and his budding sideburn/beard attempt.

 

That is absolutely fascinating! I didn't know about this previously and now I have a fun story to tell the folks at the coin club!

 

Hadrian.



Antoninus Pius


Partial Facial hair on Marcus Aurelius


Pescennius Niger


Clodius Albinus


Septimius Severus


Geta


Macrinus has a range of beard lengths. Short here.


Elagabalus
Tash

Fuller beard

 

There is a beard on this man's face.


Edit to add a favorite Zeus:

 

Zeus



Mithradataes II