Posted on 05/16/2008 3:14:48 AM PDT by Daffynition
Divers in France have found the oldest known bust of Roman dictator Julius Caesar at the bottom of the River Rhone, officials have said.
The marble bust was found near Arles, which was founded by Caesar.
France's culture ministry said the bust was from 46BC, the date of the southern town's foundation.
The ministry described the bust - which shows a lined face and a balding head - as typical of realist portraits of the Republican era.
It said other items had been found at the same site, including a 1.8m (6ft) marble statue of Neptune from the first decade of the third century AD, and two smaller statues in bronze.
Divers taking part in an archaeological excavation made the discovery between September and October 2007.
Luc Long, the archaeologist who directed the excavations, said all the busts of Caesar in Rome were posthumous.
A group of republican senators assassinated Caesar in 44BC.
"I suspect the bust was thrown in the river after he was assassinated because it would not have been good at that time to be considered a follower of his," said Mr Long.
Some of the objects found in the river will be displayed in a museum on ancient Arles, the culture ministry said
All this is terribly perplexing. I wonder if someone has written a history of beards and shaving soap and razors, both straight and safety, and the correlation of beards with the stock market -like ladies hems? Our founding fathers did not seem to have nearly so many beards as did the men who fought The War between the States. Is this purely a matter of fashion? Burnsides started one evidently with his sideburns. Seems to me that much needed research would uncover all manner of tonsorial insight into different ages. If anyone out there is not busy, could you please arrange a federal grant?
They could tell because it had "46 BCE" stamped on the bottom. (Actually, I should be grateful that the article didn't use that horrible neologism "BCE".)
No, it originated in Greece, and originally meant 'person who does not speak Greek'. The Romans Latinized it and used it to mean 'person who does not speak Greek or Latin'. Later extended to mean 'person not in the Roman Empire'. The Romans generally were clean shaven from the middle Republican until the late Imperial Periods. They had razors, and Caesar went everywhere with one or more slave valets. Considering that lack of high grade steel, gertting shaved was not a lot of fun!
Have a 1800 USA text book. The word savage meant people who didn’t have a written language. Same idea as barbarian.
The Romans had razors; they weren’t like ours as they were made of steel or sometimes brass. Romans took pride in being clean shaven, and it is only very much later in the age of empire that you see a portrait of an emperor with a beard.
Speaking of old busts:
http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/images/celebritology/08/bw.jpg
Caesar is soooooo busted!
300 B.C. -
One day, PUBLICUS TICINIUS MAENAS, a wealthy Greek businessman, brings professional barbers from Sicily to Rome, which introduces a whole new craze for shaving. Barbers use thin-bladed iron razors, which are sharpened with water and a whetstone. They don’t always use soap or oil, which is probably why it takes so long to shave a patron's face. The shaving trend endures until the days of EMPEROR HADRIAN (76-138 A.D.); who would revive the fad for beards. Hadrian actually grew a beard because he wanted to hide the lousy complexion he had on his face.
300 B.C. -
During this same time in ROME, young men about age twenty-one are required to have their first shave. They kick this off by celebrating their official entry into manhood with an elaborate party-like ritual. Other guy friends are invited to watch and give the novice shavee a bunch of nice gifts. Only soldiers and those training to become philosophers are excused from participating in this cultural ordeal.
292 B.C. -
The renowned SCIPIO AFRICANUS MAJOR (236-183 B.C.), conqueror of Hannibal in 202 B.C. also affirms the mode for being clean-shaven. He is admired and copied by men throughout Rome and by neighbors.
50 B.C. -
In ROME, many men are following the grooming example of JULIUS CAESAR (101-44 B.C.), who has his facial hairs individually plucked out with tweezers every day. He also writes this same year that "the Britons shave every part of their body except their head and upper lip."
54 - 68 A.D. -
In early Rome, POPPAEA, wife of the notorious EMPEROR NERO, uses depilatory creams to remove unwanted body hair on a daily basis. Depilatories are used as an alternative to the bloody mess that results from shaving with a blade. The latest available creams include some pretty wild ingredients, like resin, pitch, white vine or ivy gum extract, ass's fat, she-goat's gall, bat's blood, and powdered viper.
AROUND 100 A.D. -
In ROME, shaving the male face starts to become old hat, thanks to EMPEROR HADRIAN (76-138 A.D.), who is now reviving the desire for beards. Actually, Hadrian grows a beard to hide the lousy complexion he has on his face.
Nice one! LOL
The first Boyscout Knife?? I can see a lot of things you can do with that. Open a can....Oh, yeah...They didn’t have cans....well, they did...I mean food cans.
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