I have no special interest in the female empresses of the Roman Empire. I certainly had no previous interest or understanding about female hairstyles. I had no interest, that is, until I started to teach my daughter about Ancient Roman history. As most Romanophiles know, Julia Domna was the Syrian wife of the emperor Septimius Severus. Here is a portrait of the Severus family, including the ill-fated sons Caracalla and Geta. Julia Domna’s coins are easily identified by their unique hairstyle. There are several statues of her, some thought to even have a moveable hairpiece. This would be consistent with a hairstyle that required various types of wigs. This is, at least, the background information I had always accepted as dogma. No longer. Recently, however, I found some interesting work by Janet Stephens who has the title of “Hairdressing Archeologist.” This interview gives insight into her background as a hairdresser and her interest in Ancient Roman hairstyles: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/14729 She brings an interesting perspective on hairstyles in Ancient Rome. She contends that this hairstyle could have been done with the empress’s own hair and not with a wig. (Note: Here are some important definitions to know to more fully understand the video: A chignon is a roll or knot of hair worn at the back of the head or especially at the nape of the neck. A bodkin a long pinshaped instrument used by women to fasten up the hair. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4P2ZO6YEKs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68LEUXw2QJU&feature=channel It is assumed that Julia Domna and other females of the aristocracy had access to at least one and possibly a team of trained slave hairstylists known as ornatrices in order to create these elaborate hairstyles. The detachable wigs on these statues could have been used to keep the statues up-to-date. It is possible, therefore, that these elaborate hairstyles were made entirely with the empress’s own hair and not wigs as previously assumed. I found this interesting quote from an article by Elizabeth Bartman “Hair and the Artifice of Roman Female Adornment” from The American Journal of Archaeology: I now have to agree. Thoughts? guy
Wow thats really cool. I enjoyed the videos, links and this post. I always assumed it was wigs also as thats what is mostly accepted from what I have read. Nice to see another take on the subject. Alot of the empresses had unique hairstyles, this one of Sabina I find to be the most interesting. Sadly this isnt my coin as its over $500! but it fits with this thread I think.
