STOP Early Journal Content on JSTOR, Free to Anyone in the World This article is one of nearly 500,000 scholarly works digitized and made freely available to everyone in the world byJSTOR. Known as the Early Journal Content, this set of works include research articles, news, letters, and other writings published in more than 200 of the oldest leading academic journals. The works date from the mid-seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries. We encourage people to read and share the Early Journal Content openly and to tell others that this resource exists. People may post this content online or redistribute in any way for non-commercial purposes. Read more about Early Journal Content at http://about.istor.org/participate-istor/individuals/early- journal-content . JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. JSTOR helps people discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content through a powerful research and teaching platform, and preserves this content for future generations. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. GREEK AND ROMAN BARBERS. By Frank W. Nicolson. THE barber's profession was a more important one among the Greeks and Romans than it is in modem days. The barber's implements were then comparatively scarce, and men as a rule made their morning toilet in the barber-shop, because they had not at home the necessary combs, razors, and mirrors. Moreover, the razors and shears were so rude and unwieldy that it no doubt required a skilful hand to use them. The original and chief occupation of the barber was probably that of cutting the hair ; that of shaving came later. In the very earliest times we must suppose that every man was his own barber. We cannot say exactly when the profession of barber first arose in Greece, but we know that it was at a very early date. We have several references to barbers in the Old Comedy. Aristophanes, though he does not use the word Kovpevs, has several references to shaving and hair-cutting. Eupolis refers distinctly to the Kovpevs (Eup. Xp.'ytvoi VI.). Cf. also Philyllius IIoX. V. and Cratinus Aiov. II. As to the Romans, however, the case is different. We know ex- actly when the first barber appeared in Rome. Varro (iff. Ji. II. ii. lo) says that barbers first came to Italy from Sicily, a. u. c. 454, under the leadership of P. Ticinius Mena. These barbers brought over from Sicily may have been Greeks. The profession of the barber was most flourishing in Rome in the time of the Empire. To their shops the young nobles used to flock to have their locks trimmed and curled. Cf. Seneca, De Brev. Vitae, XII. 3. The profession became so popular at last that the barbers occupied elegant shops, finely fitted up with large mirrors, and grew to be a rich class. At last the Emperor interfered. Ammian(XXII. 4), describing the luxurious habits of the time (a.d. 361), tells us that one day the Emperor Julian sent for a barber to cut his hair. He entered, " ambitiose vestitus." The Emperor, astonished at his 41 42 Frank W. Nicolson. magnificent appearance, said, " ego non rationalem iussi sed tonso- rem acciri." He then went on to ask the barber how much he made by the practice of his profession ; the latter repUed that he made enough every day to keep twenty persons and as many horses, be- sides enjoying a large annual income and many sources of incidental gain. The Emperor, indignant at hearing this, expelled from the kingdom all the men of this trade, together with the cooks and all who made similar profits. In this connection it is interesting to note that Plato {Rep. 373 c) classes both barbers and cooks with those personal servants (SiaKovoi) which are not necessary to an ideal state, but which would be required in a luxurious city. We have no description of a barber-shop, as a whole, in Greek or Latin literature ; but we can get an idea of what it must have con- tained from the references to implements used in it. These will be described later. In general, it may be said that the barber-shop did not differ in appearance, externally, from the various other shops of Athens or Rome. Horace {Ep. I. 7. 50) refers to the " vacua ton- soris umbra," on which passage OrelU has this note : " Finge tibi tonstrinam Romanam a fronte prorsus apertam, superne et a postica parte atque a lateribus centonibus vel sipariis adversus solem tec- tam." The word "vacua" in this passage implies that the shop was free from idlers, those who had come for business being gone, while the loungers had not yet come. Both the Greek and Roman barber-shops were celebrated lounging places. It was to the barber-shop that the Greek or Roman resorted to hear the gossip and the news of the day. The barber-shop was to them what the daily newspaper is to us. Allusions to this custom of gathering at the Kompdov are to be found in the literature as early as the Old Comedy. Cf. Eupolis Mar. III. ; Aristophanes Av. 1439, and Plut. 338. For later references, cf. Athenaeus XII. 5206; Ly- sias XXIII. 3 ; Demosthenes in Arisi. 786 ; Theophrastus Char. XI. Plutarch (Symp. V. 5 ) quotes a saying of Theophrastus concerning these gatherings : aoiva crv/x'Trocna wailwv tKoXa to, Kovpfia, Sta rrjv XoiXtav t5)v TTpocTKO^tf ovro)v. These "wineless symposia" existed also among the Romans, and were equally well patronized. For references cf. Martial .Epig. II. 17; Horace Sa^. 1. 7. 3 ; Plautus Amph. 1013 ; and Terence Phor. 89. The ancient barbers, like those of our own day, had a great repu- Greek and Roman Barbers. 43 tation for garrality. It is easy to understand how they gradually developed this fault. Frona the earliest times crowds used to flock to their shops, as we have seen, at first from necessity, afterwards, perhaps, because it was the fashion. Being thus compelled, even against his will, to hear all the news, the barber would in turn be led, perhaps also sometimes against his will, to impart the news to others. In this way a habit of excessive talking would easily be formed. Plutarch (De Gar. 508) tells an anecdote of King Archelaus who, when asked by the barber iris o-e Ktlpm ; responded <n«Mr<ov. Cf. also Plutarch Nic. 30. The work of the modem barber is confined to cutting the hair and caring for the beard. Greek and Roman barbers in addition cleansed and pared the finger-nails of their patrons, besides cutting their corns, plucking stray hairs from their bodies, and removing warts and other corporeal disfigurements. Their chief work, how- ever, consisted in caring for the finger-nails, beard, and hair. Both in Greece and Rome it was considered very unseemly to appear with the nails unpared. Theophrastus {Char. XIX.) de- scribes the " offensive " man (5 8t)crx£ji)»;s) as TototJTo's tis oios Ix^av tous ow)(a.% jLieyoXovs. The Oligarch, on the other hand, who pays much attention to his personal appearance, is aKpt^S>^ dn-<ovux'<''ju,ei'os. Barber-shops were provided with small sharp knives (owxtonr'^pta kfTTTo.) for use in paring nails. The " cultellum tonsorium " is men- tioned by Valerius Maximus (III. 2. 15). To the barber-shop there- fore men would naturally resort to have their nails pared, not being supplied with the necessary implements themselves. The Greeks, however, seem not to have patronized the barber so much for this purpose as did the Romans, and probably in the earliest times men pared their own nails. Cf. Xenophon J/i?»2. 1. 2. 54, Hesiod 0/>. 742. Among the Romans, on the other hand, it was the common cus- tom to go to the barber's to have the nails pared. Cf. Horace Ej>. I. 7. 50, where the fact that the young man in the barber-shop is attending to his own nails, contrary to the usual custom, is emphasized by the use of the word "proprios." But the custom is best illustrated by a passage from Plautus {Au/. 267), where he describes the miser who, though mean enough to gather together and save the parings of his finger-nails, does not think of trimming them himself, but goes to the barber to have it done. 44 Frank W. Nicolson. We learn from a passage in Plautus ( Cap. 266) that the ancient barbers used either to clip the beard, making use of a comb (Jon- dere per pectinem), or shave close to the face (strictim attondere or radere). A third method of getting rid of the hair on the face is mentioned by Martial {Ep. VIII. 47), namely, plucking out the hairs by means of the rpixoXa^iov (vobella'). This was the method resorted to by effeminate youths. Cf. Gellius VI. 12. Still other methods of removing the hair from the face were resorted to. Some destroyed them by means of salves {psilothrum, dropax), of which the ingredients are given by Pliny (iV. H. XXXII. 47). The tyrant Dionysius being afraid to trust himself in the barber's hands, made his daughters learn to shave him. When they grew up, he dared not trust even them with a razor, but made them burn off his beard and hair with red-hot nut-shells (" candentibus iuglandium putaminibus"). See Cicero Tusc. V. 20, and cf. Plutarch Dio 9. That the Romans did not have to depend altogether on the bar- ber, but sometimes shaved themselves, is proved by a passage in Plutarch {Ant. i). With the rough and unwieldy razors of the time, it was but natural that the ancients should have more reason to complain of wounds received in a barber-shop than have we. Pliny (N. H. XXIX. 36) recommends cob-webs as excellent to stop the bleeding of such wounds. The ancients, and particularly the Romans, were careful to have their hair cut when it grew too long. Pollux (II. 33) gives the origin of the word (coupiSv : KovpiSiv to KOfMV, &n-b tov hticrdax Kovpa.%. Theo- phrastus uses the phrase fl-XetoraKts aTroKtipaxr&at, of the " man of petty ambition" {Char. 21). They were also particular as to the cut of their hair, the essential being that the hairs be cut evenly, so that all be of the same length. Thus Horace (Ep. I. i. 94) : "Si curatus inaequali tonsore capillos occurri, rides." So also a man is described as ridiculous in appearance who is " rusticius tonsus " (Horace Sat. I. 3. 31). How great was the dependence of the ancients upon the barber in the matter of hair-cutting is shown by a passage in Artemi- dorus {On. I. 22), who says that to dream of having the hair cut by a barber is a good sign, since no one ever cuts his own hair unless he is in poor circumstances or suffering from some calamity. Greek and Roman Barbers. 45 There were different modes of cutting the hair ; hence the barber's question (quoted above), tSs <j(. Keipio. The principal varieties are given by Pollux (II. 29) : Kryiroi, (rKd<j>iov, wpoKOTTa, ■rrepLTp6)(aXa. (Cod. TTcptTjooxoXaTij and -Tr]v ; emended by Salmasius.) The distinction between K^iroi (or (opibv) and o-Kai^iov is given by Suidas (s.V. Krjtroi) : to /ikv ovv (TKa.<f>iov to iv XP<S, 6 Si k^ttos to irpo /t£T(ixa) KeKoo-inrja-Oai. He also defines the phrase iv xp<? ^ relating to a close crop : iv XPV KeKapp-ivoi • xpos avTi^ ti^ XP"""' ' °'*"' o~vv€yyvi Kol irXijaiov Tov Sipparoi Ton Tpi)(a.i i^vprip.ivo'i. Thus the main dis- tinction between K^^n-os and a-Ka^vov seems to have been that in the latter the hair was cut short, while in the former it was worn moder- ately long over the forehead. 1. K^TTos. From other sources we learn that the above explana- tion of K^TTos, while correct as far as it goes, is incomplete ; that the hair according to this mode was worn long, not only over the fore- head, but in a ring around the head, that on the crown of the head being cut short. Schol. Eur. Tro. 1175: KtJTro^ KovpSs etSos, ijv »' KV.p6p.evoi Sie/3d\XovTO, KaTfXxpiravov Se Tas efco T^s k£<^kx\^s Trepl to. oKpa Tpt'xas. Pollux (IV. 140), describing to. tS>v ywaixSv irpocriinra, seems to refer to this form of hair-cut in the words : ^ Sk ixea-oKovpoi toxpa, opjola Ty KaraKopw, irXrjv ocra ck /xotou KtKapTai.. From the fol- lowing passages it appears that the form of shears known as the fua pAxoxpa (described below) was used to cut the hair on the crown of the head. Hesych. (s.v. k^ttos) : elSos Kovpas ^V 01 Opmrropevoi iKci- povTO <os iiriirav («v) ^ p-ia jjux^aCpq. ; also (s.v. p.ia payaipa) : tt^v Xeyopevrjv lajirov Kovpav pj.5. pa^aipa. iKtipovTO. Poll. (II. 32) : ikeyov hi Ti oi Kuip<f8ol Kol KeipeuOai /itoT pja)(aLpci. iirl tIov KaX\unri^op.€v<i)V. The reason for using this form of shears will be given later. 2. vpoKOTTa. It seems best to consider here the third variety of hair-cut mentioned by Pollux (ttpokotto), inasmuch as there is reason to beUeve that it was not a distinct form at all. For the explanations we have of it do not differ in any respect from those of K^TTos, given above. Pollux (II. 29) defines it thus : ttjv 8c irpoKonav tfiounv eivat OTav «s to. ip.irpoo'Oev Kopa, to, trpo Trj% kottiSos. ovto) yap 01 A(tfpi£is KoXoxKTi Trjv K€<f>oXT^v, (Cf. Suidas' description of k^xos. * Apparently inserted by some scribe through ignorance of the meaning of /ii^ luixaiptf, though perhaps a mere blunder in copying. 46 Frank W. Nicolson. given above : ro wpo ixeratTrm KeKocrfi^a-Oai..) ol Sk ovSe Kovpav otovrai etvai Tr]V irpoKOTTav, aXK awas Tots VTrkp to /xenairov Tpi)(ai, Hesych. (s.V. irpoKOTTo) : EiSos Kovpas tj Kt<f>aXrji rpl^iapa' kottis yap ij kciJxiXt^. Kol ol aXeKTpv6v€i KOTTol 8ta Tov iirl rrj Kt<f>aX.y \6<j)0v. Phot. (s.v. irpo- KOTTav) : TTjV TTpb TTJ'i K£<l)a\rji rpvx<j><Tiv' kotti's yap Trapa TOis Atapicv- <nv ij K£<l>aXr] Xeyerai. If TrpoKorra was the name of a form of hair- cut, it does not appear from any of these passages that it differed in any respect from the KrJTro'i, described above. On the other hand, it is reasonable to conclude from the above quotations that the word was used merely as a name for the hair which, as in the K^woi, grew long over the forehead. It is not found in the literature proper as the name of a hair-cut, but only in the glossaries, as quoted above. It is of Doric origin, as appears from Pollux (loc. cit.). From a comparison of the words of Hesychius quoted above (^ol oXtKTpvovK KOTTol Sitt TOV iirl TTj Ke<j>aX.rj X.6<j>ov) with the phrase used by Herodotus (IV. 175) of the African tribe MaKat (01 \6<j>ovi KtipovTox), we may infer that the hair thus allowed to grow long was combed on end, so as to resemble a crest. If the hair was worn in this fashion all around the head in the k^itos, we can see a reason for the use of the lua pAxaxpa to trim close the hair on the crown of the head. For, as will be shown later, the /«a pAxaipa was a smaller form of shears than the ordinary 8«rA^ pAxMpa., and was operated by one hand. Cf. Steph. Thes. (s.v. i/foAis) : " i/raXcs derivatum esse videtur a xjiakXw. . . . Instrumentum, tonsorium scilicet, quo in tondendis crinibus utuntur : quod et ipsum in tonsura velociter agiliterque moveri notum est." With such an instrument it would be compara- tively easy to trim the hair on the crown of the head without cutting the surrounding ring of hair; while such an operation would be difficult with the more clumsy SnrX^ p,ax<«pa, which required two hands to manipulate it. 3. a-Kd.<f>iov. We come now to a consideration of the second mode of hair-cut mentioned by Pollux, namely, crKd(f>iov. We have seen that this was a close crop (iv XPV)- It is to be noted that the Greeks ordinarily wore the hair short after reaching the age of man- hood (cf. Luc. Herm. 18 : iv xp(S Kovpia's) ; while long hair was considered a sign of pride or foppishness (cf. Schol. Arist. £f. 580 : KO/xuxn • Tpvi^Sxn, TrXovrovcri, ' to yap Ko/xav iirl Tm rpv^av Aeycrat Kal yavpovcrOai, (cat /teya <f>pov£iv). But that there was a distinction be- Greek and Roman Barbers. 47 tween <tk64>wv and an ordinary close crop appears from Eustathius, p. 1292, 60 : KiiptuvTax S« (cat /J-tXP^ vvv 01 fjiiv iv xpi5 Kada Kal 'AXavol, 01 Sk a-Kd<j>tov o irapa Tw Ka)/j.(Kw kutcu. The nature of this distinction appears from the following definition of o-Ko<^tov given by Hesychius (s.v.) : etSos Kovpai rrji K€(f>aX.rjs, o Kiipta-dai fjxun tom irtupevovtrai • etvai St Tr€piTp6)(aX.ov. Cf. also Photius (s.V. (rKa.<j>iov) : Kovpa wepiTpo- Xa^os. The meaning of the term TrcpirpoxaAos is plain from Herod. III. 8 : KeipovTM (ot 'AjoaySioi) ■iTipirp6y(aXa, Trepiivpovvrei tovs Kpord- (t>ovi (where the MSS. have also ■irepi^vpu>vTcs and inroivpovvris) . We may infer, therefore, that in the (TKd<f>iov, in addition to a close crop, the hair on the outside was shaved off in a circle around the head. It has been supposed by many that the words iv xp<e in this con- nection refer to the part shaved, and that the hair on the crown of the head was allowed to grow long. The following facts, however, seem to show that the phrase refers to the appearance of the cut as a whole. First, o-Kd4>iov is mentioned as the form of hair-cut com- mon to slaves. Cf Schol. Arist. Thesm. 838: a-Kd<l>u)v ciSos Kovpai SovXiK^i. That slaves wore the hair short appears from many pas- sages ; e.g., Arist. Av. 911 : tirara S^ra SouAos &v K6p,r]v «x"*! Again, crica<^iov is referred to (Plut. Arai. 3) as a characteristic mark of an athlete ; and that men of that class wore the hair short we learn from Luc. DM. Mer. V. 3 {koL iv xpv ^'I'^V "■^V KaOdirep ol <T<f>6Spa dvSpwSeti tu>v dBXrjrlav aTrOKeKapfievrj) , as well as from many representations that have come down to us. It is to be noted also that the hetaira referred to in the last quoted passage wore a wig ; her hair must therefore have been clipped short all over the head, and not merely shaven around the edges. Still further, the fact that the form vKdi^iov gave the appearance of a very closely cropped head is illustrated by two passages in Aristophanes ; namely, Av. 806, where Peisthetairos, an old, bald-headed man, is compared to a Koi/rt^os <TKd<liiov dn-oTETtAficvos, and Thesm. 838, where the phrase <TKd(j>tov aTTOKiKapp.ivTjv is contrasted with KOfMn KaOda-av. Finally, the words iv xp<e are always found with Kelpav, which means "to shear or clip," and not " to shave." 4. irepirpoxaXa. It remains to discuss the fourth variety of hair-cut mentioned by Pollux, namely, TrepirpoxaXa. In this form, the hair was shaven in a circle around the head, the hair on the 48 Frank W. Nicolson. crown being either clipped short, as in the (tkoj^v described above, or allowed to grow long, as seems to have been the case with some barbarian tribes. It is noteworthy that the word does not occur as descriptive of a Greek hair-cut, but is used altogether of barbarians. Thus Herodotus (quoted above) mentions it in con- nection with the Arabs; Priscus (Excerpt, p. 190, ed. Nieb. 1829) refers to it as a Scythian mode (outos 8e Tftv^wvri iioKo, 'XkvOyi cveifjiijn' T£ lov (cat aTroKeipd/xevoi ttjv Ketj>aXr}V Trepirpo^aXa} ; Agathias (Hisf. I. 3) uses the phrase Trkpirpoxa K€ipaa-0ai of the kings of the Franks ; and Choerilus (Frag. IV.) describes the Jewish tribe Solymi as avx/^oAeot Kopv<j>ai, Tpo^oKovpa&e's. Nake, in his note on the last mentioned passage (p. 150 f.) shows that irepirpoxaXa is a general term for any form of hair-cut in which the hair is clipped in a circle. The a-Ka4>uiv above described should^ there- fore be regarded as a variety of the TreptrpoxaXa, its characteristics being a close crop on the crown, in addition to a circular shave around the head. Herodotus (IV. 1 75) alludes to another variety of the ircpiTpoxoAa in his description of an African tribe (Ma/cai) : oi Xo^ovs Kupovrai, ro fiev fj-eaov TW Tpi)(S)v dvicvTes avieadai, to, Se tvdev (cai ivOcv KeipovTK iv xpoi*. Here the hair was apparently worn long on the crown of the head, while that around the edges was shorn close in places (not shaven), so as to leave tufts here and there resembling crests. It has been shown that vpoKorra was not the name of a distinct form of hair-cut, but should be classed with the k^ttos; also that TrepiTpoxa^cL was a general term, embracing among other cuts the (TKd<f)Lov. In the passage of Pollux under discussion (II. 29) we may therefore consider k^vos and crKa.cj>iov to be the two chief forms of Greek hair-cuts. The distinction between them is marked. In the K^TTos, the hair was worn relatively long and combed on end around the head, while a round space in the middle was kept closely trimmed by means of the /iCa /taxaipa. In the (TKd4>iov, the hair was worn closely cUpped all over the head, the edges being shaven. The two forms are mentioned side by side in an interesting passage in Lucian {Lex. V.) : cyw pkv iTroSr](TdiJLivos livofxrfv rriv Ke<j>aXrjV ry oBovToiTy ^varpc}.' koI yap ov K-qirCav dXXa CTKac^tov iKtKdpfi.y)V, (os av oi TTph TToXKav rov kovvov kox T-qv Kopv<j>aiav diroKCKOjarjKiis. Here the Scholiast remarks : to St l^voji-qv avrl toO eKren^oixijv • oSovtiot^v yap Greek and Roman Barbers. 49 ivarpav to ktcViov ^t^o-i. If this explanation is correct, and the use of a comb is alluded to by Lucian, we must infer that a comb could be used with the a-Kd<f>tov, but not with the k^ttos; whereas, from the explanation given above of the two forms, just the opposite would seem to be the case. Fritzsche, to remove the difficulty, has conjectured (note to Arist. Thesm. 846) that Lucian wrote ou a-Ka.<i>iov oAAct Krjmov. This is a bold change, however, and not nec- essary. For the word ivarpa is merely another form of ^vcrrpk, and means "a strigil," in this particular case perhaps furnished with short teeth {ohovToyrrf) , and used by athletes for scraping (i^vo- fiijv), not combing, their close-cropped hair. The Scholiast has apparently been misled, as have many commentators, by the word ohovTuny. The phrase which follows (ok Sv . . . dn-oKCKo/xrjKws) makes it clear that the reference is here to a close crop. The allusion is to the custom followed by the young men of Greece (see Becker's Char. Sc. IX. Exc. 3) of wearing the hair long until they reached the age of i<f>-qjioi, when it was cut off and consecrated to some deity. Some- times a single lock of hair was kept long during boyhood for this purpose. This was variously called Kopv4)aia, as in this passage (see also Eust. to Od., p. 1528, 18/.), o-koAAvs (Poll. II. 29, Eust. loc. cit., Hesych. s.v.), Kpii (Hesych. s.v., Eust. loc. cit.), /xoAAos (Hesych. s.v. o-koAAvs), ■n-Xox^aos or irXoKa^aos (ibid.), Kp<oj3v\oi (Hesych., Suid., s.v.), crapa rpixw (Poll. II. 30). The word Kovvos, though defined by Hesychius (s.v.) : o Trwywv, r/ vTrrjvr], seems to have been also used in this signification of " a lock of hair." Cf. Hesych. s.v. UpoySarov : (Hemst. icpco/xa* tov) kowov AaKwycs 01' Tives ixaWbv, ctkoWw. Also Kovvo(j>op<j>v ' o-KoAAi)<^opa)v. The word is found in the literature only in this passage, where it is commonly translated " the beard," in accordance with Hesychius. But even if we conceive the young man in question to have worn a beard, con- trary to the usual custom of the young men of the time, the mention of the fact that he has shaved it off would have no bearing oh the rest of the passage, since it was a close-cropped head and not a smooth shaven face that occasioned the use of the ^vcrrpa. It seems probable, there- fore, that Lucian wrote <os av oi irpo ttoAAov tov kowov aKOKiKOix,r]Ku><; (meaning the lock of hair described above), and that the more common Attic word Kopv<j>oua was added by a scribe as a gloss on the 50 Frank W. Nicolson. rare Laconian word kowos ; this gloss may easily have been incor- porated into the text by later scribes who did not know the word KovvfK, and guessed, as Hesychius did, that it meant the beard. It is to be noted that it occurs in the latter sense in no place except in Hesychius. Lucian's fondness for using rare and obsolete words is noticed by Fritzsche, loc. cit. The common form of hair-cut among the younger men was, as we have seen, a close crop (17 ev XP<3 Kovpd). The crKatf>iov was a modi- fication of this employed by certain classes ; namely, slaves (Schol. Arist. Thesm. 838), athletes (Plut. Arat. 3, Luc. Dial. Mer. V. 3), and hetairae, in imitation of the athletes (Hesych. s.v. crKa<j!>iov, Luc. loc. cit.). The Kfjirfn, on the other hand, was the mode affected by the dandies of the time — 01 BpvTnoftAvoi (Hesych. s.v. k^'h-os), 01 KaXKiaTTiXfifixvoi. (Poll. IL 32). Cf. also Schol. Arist. Eq. 580 (quoted above) . The original meaning of k^itos is " a garden," and its appUcability to a form of hair-cut has been variously understood. It seems best to consider the word as referring not to the appearance of the head as a whole, as many have supposed, but to the round plot, so to speak, in the middle, which was kept carefully trimmed, while the rest of the hair, worn comparatively long, surrounded it like a hedge. The word o-kui^iov meant originally "a bowl"; hence it has been supposed that in cutting the hair after this fashion the Greeks used a bowl, placing it on top of the head and trimming around it. Cf Salmasius {De Caes. Vir. et Mul. Coma, p. 249) : " Rustici in pie- risque Galliae locis, alveolo ligneo profundo capiti imposito, comam in circuitu per oram alveoli extantem resecant. Videntur et Graeci hoc idem factitasse, qui o-Ka<f>iov appellarunt hoc genus tonsurae." This is not likely, however, if we suppose that the hair on the crown of the head was cut short itself, and that the hair on the outside was shaved off, and not cUpped. It is more probable that the name arose from the resemblance of the closely cropped head to a bowl. Aris- tophanes (Frag. 502 D.) uses the word to mean the crown of the head : iva ixr] Karayrji to (TKa.<j>iMV TrXijyels fvXo). Two other forms of hair-cut are mentioned by Polhix (II. 29), concerning which we have very little information. The first is Greek and Roman Barbers. 51 described in the words : IXe-yoi' 8e xai ■n-pos <t>6elpa. ' KUjecrOou, rr]V TrevOifiov Kovpav, tos Eii^SovXos o k(o/xikos. The reading 1; <j>6Apa is sup- ported by Photius : ■n-pos <j>Oa.pa KtipacrOai.' Ev/SovXos AovXco (AoXtoi/t). This would be a reference to a close crop, which was at Athens a sign of mourning. Cf. Eur. AU. 812, Plut. Fe/. ^^, Xen. He//. I. 7. 8, Eur. Or. 966, and Schol. ad loc. The second form is thus referred to : eicaXetTo Se tis koi 'Ekto- petos KOfirj, TTipl rji <l>ri<nv Ava^iXas, rr/v ExTopciov t^v €<^i;p,epov KO/tiiji/. Tipxios §€ T^v Kovpav Ta.vrr)V irpoecrToXOai piv Seiv Trcpi to periawov Xeyci, T(3 8c Tpa)cJXw tTipiKi-^xKrOax. Cf. also Schol. Lycoph. A/ex. 1133 : (KTOpo's 17 Koprj, eiSos K£KaXXoJ7ri(rp.£vi;s Tpi;^os. ko/xij tis XeycTai, 17 Ta OTTwOev KaOapeva, to, Se IpTrprxrOev KCKappiva «;)(«. Hesychius : fKTopaoL Kopai ■ (OS Aavifioi koI UevKerioi, txovTt^ Tr]V ok 'IXujd rots <u/xois ■KcpiKf.yvp.evtjv tpl'xp^- If we adopt Kuehn's emendation iittco-toX- 6ai for 5rpo£<TT(£X6a(. in the quotation from Timaeus given by Pollux, the above passages become consistent with each other, and we gain from them the idea of a close crop in front and long, flowing hair behind. This accords well with the description of Hector given by Homer (//. XXII. 401) : dp.^i fie x"'''"''" i^vavtai, TrirvavTo. This form of hair-cut seems, like the k^ttos, to have been affected by the fops of the day. Cf. Lycoph. A/ex. 1133: tovs cKTopewus :7yXatcrp.€voi;s KopaK, and Schol. (quoted above) : etSos KCKaXXioTricr/xei/ijs Tpt;:^os. Hence Toup's emendation to Anaxilaos (as quoted by Pollux above), reading i(j)ip€pov for i<f>rjpepov, seems probable. Cf. Theoc. I. 61 : Tov i^Cpcpov vpvov. An almost complete Ust of the implements employed by the ancient barber may be obtained by a comparison of the following passages : Pollux X. 140 ; Anth. Pal. VI. 307 ; Plautus Cure. 577 j Martial Epig. XIV. 36. The most important were the razor {^vpov, novacu/a), shears {pdxatpa, paxaioiSe^, ij/aXk, /off ex), mirrors {KdronTpov, cio-o- Ttrpov, speeu/um) , corahs (ktcis, buxuni), tweezers (vo/se//ae) , and small knives for trimming the finger-nails (owxtorr^^ta XeirTa). The ancient barber seated his customer in a liigh chair ; cf. Alci- phron III. 66 (ii/rijXoS Qpovov) . He threw over his shoulders a linen ■■ Inferior manuscripts, 7rpf>s (pBetpxv, Trpompopdv, trphs fKpopiv. 52 Frank W. Nicolson. cloth (w/xoXivov, crtvStoi', involucruni) . This is referred to in the fol- lowing passages : Alciphron III. 66 ; Diogenes Laertius Vita Crat, VI. 90; Plautus Cap. 266, Cure. ^•j'j. Large mirrors were hung up about the walls of the barber-shop. Cf. Plutarch De Audit. 8 ; Lucian Adv. Ind. 29. We learn from Vitruvius IX. 9. 2 that Ctesi- bius, a barber of Alexandria, invented hydrauUc machines while en- gaged in the work of arranging a large mirror in his shop in such a way that it could be raised or lowered at will. The combs used by the ancients were made of wood (generally box- wood), of ivory or bone, and sometimes of metal. Those that have been found are as a rule plain and smooth, and do not differ much from those of modern days. For references, cf. Ovid Fasti VI. 229 ; Juvenal Sat. XIV. 194. There is no evidence that the Greeks or the Romans used hair-brushes. The curling-iron (KoAa/its, calamistrum) was simply a long tube of metal, or a small, round bar. It was heated in the fire before being used ; hence the person using it is called cinerarius. The small, sharp knives used for paring the nails (owyidrripw. Xfirra) are referred to in the Anthohgia Pal. VI. 307, in the words (rvkovvywi (rrowya/i. The Ai7roKoirro6 <l)a(TyaviSes in the same passage seem to have been also small, sharp knives, used for removing warts, corns, and other callous excrescences. (Jacobs has conjectured here TvXoKOTtTovs, Lobeck XLOoKta-irov;.) We have no evidence that the ancient barber, in shaving his cus- tomers, used any of the various substitutes for soap known in those days. The only passage that bears on the subject is Plutarch Ant. I, where Antony, after having had a silver basin full of water brought to him, ws ivpexrOai jueAAtov Kari^pcx^ to. yivtM. The barber may have used only water for wetting the cheeks, without any soap, as is the custom nowadays in some countries. The {fiyKTpa SovaKins men- tioned in Antholog. Pal. VI. 307, the use of which is not clearly understood, would seem to imply the use of soap. It is defined by Jacobs as " strigilis genus ex arundine qua utebantur ad tollendum cr/x^y/ua." Razors of very great antiquity have been discovered among re- mains of the bronze period in Italy and in Greece. They are of a form very different from those of the present day, consisting of a half-moon or sickle-shaped blade, with a small ring-shaped handle. Greek and Roman Barbers. 53 They are exceedingly rough and clumsy-looking contrivances. Illus- trations may be found in Baumeister (s.v. "Barbiere"), Helbig {Horn. Epos, p. 248). Great confusion has always existed among the commentators as to the forms of the shears used by the ancient barbers, and, in general, as to the use of the words jiAyaxpa^ /mxaj-pis, etc. This confusion arises from the failure to distinguish the shears (/xaxatpac) from the razor {$vpay). Though the words /xaxa-ifM and /xax^pk, meaning " blade " in general, might apply very well to the razor, they seem to have been used solely to refer to the different forms of the shears. If this distinction is borne in mind, the question becomes much simpler. Much of the confusion arises from a misinterpretation of Aristoph- anes, AcA. 849 : Kpartvos act KCKap/ji^voi iJ,oi)(ov fua iui)(a.ipq,. The p-ia fidXMpa is generally assumed to be a razor, and is so explained by Liddell and Scott. They translate the word /mxaipk also as " a razor," quoting among other places Arist. £^. 413 and Lucian Adv. Jnd. 29. In the first quoted passage, the word, used in the plural, apparently refers to knives of some sort, and not razors ; while in the second it is fair to conclude that a razor cannot possibly be meant. For here the skilful barber is represented as having only a ivpov, a Ixax^xpOi, and a KaroitTpov <Tvp,px.rpov. If the paxaxpi'i is a razor, why mention that instrument twice, to the exclusion of the shears, which were even more important to the Greek barber than the razor ? Bottiger in his " Sabina " (^Exc. to Sc. V.) has gone so far as to say that the ancient barber did not use shears to cut the hair, but only razors of different sizes, more or less sharp. In the line from Aristophanes, quoted above, he explains pxa, pjaxaiptf. as the name of one of the most elegant hair-cuts, being done with a razor. The latter fact would add nothing to the elegance of the cut, if all hair-cutting was done with razors ; and if this was one of the most elegant hair-cuts, we should expect to find it mentioned in the list given by Pollux, quoted above ; but he makes no mention of it. To proceed, then, on the assumption that the words fjid.xou.pa. and IMxaipk always refer to some form of shears and not the razor. Pol- lux' list of barber's implements, quoted above, is as follows : Krevcs, KOvpiSes, lJ.dxMpo.1, pxixaipiSes, i/faXts (called also p.ia fJuixMpa.), $vp6v, ivpc^oxrj, owxurrqpui. XeirTa. The Kovpis is, according to Liddell and 54 Frank W. Nicolson. Scott, a "razor," (in plural "scissors"). The form of the word (from KcCpto) would lead us to expect that shears for clipping are meant, and not a razor. Pollux himself, in another place (II. 32), mentions /na;(atpt8es, called also KovpiSes. The three following words in the above list may be taken to refer to shears, while mention of the razor is reserved till the last. Another argument in favor of this view may be drawn from a second list given by Pollux (II. 32) : KTfl/es, $vpov, 6rJKr) {ivpo6rJKr)) , fia;^ai(3t8es (or KovpiSts). If we under- stand iJMx<upk here to refer to the razor, we have no mention at all of shears. Next, to explain the word iliaXk. In X. 140 Pollux says it is the same as /xm /taxatpa. This agrees with Photius' definition : /niW pAxan-pav ■ ipaXiSa • 'Api<TTo<j>d.vr]i, referring doubtless to AcA. 849, quoted above. Pollux (II. 32") says IXeyov Si n ol KO)ju.<pSoi koX k«'- peirOai //.icT /j-axp-ipq. i-irl rtov KoAXowrtZ^o/tei'CDv. rrjv Sk pAyaipav Tavrrjv KOI tj/aXiSa KeKXrJKaa-iv. Here the MSS. are divided between ixia: and BiirXy, but by comparison with Pollux X. 140, and Photius, just cited, we must conclude that /xia is the correct reading. Thus we have shears mentioned generally under the names p.dxcu- pax, frnxaipiSa, KovpiSes, while we have the two special varieties /lia p.a.xa-ipa (called also i/faXts) and StirX^ ixaxcupa. These varieties we must seek to distinguish. I. /tict p-dxaipa or ij/aXls. This form of shears consisted of a single piece of elastic metal, bent on itself in the middle and having the two edges sharpened. While being used, these shears were held in the hollow of the hand, one blade being pressed by the thumb, the other by the four other fingers. By the pressure of the hand, the sharp blades were thus brought together. The word ij/aki's in this connection has never been satisfactorily explained. It means origi- nally a vault or an arch, and so a semi-circular building. It would seem reasonable to suppose that in this case the reference is to the curved or rounded end made by bending the metal on itself. This form of shears is represented in Baumeister, s.v. " Scheren." Also in a Pompeian wall-painting (see yiM. der Sachs. Gesell. der Wiss. V. taf. VI. 5), where are shown a number of cupids, cutting strings of flowers, one of whom has in his hand a pair of shears of this de- scription. O. Jahn (ibid. p. 316) says that shears like these have been found in large numbers at Pompeii and elsewhere. Greek and Roman Barbers. 55 2. 8iir\^ ndx<upa. The second variety of shears resembled in form that most common nowadays, consisting of two pieces of metal fastened together in the middle. A representation may be seen in a terra-cotta group from Tanagra (see ArcA. Z^. XXXII. taf. 14). Of the two blades, which are of equal length, one rests upon the head of the person whose hair is being cut, and is held between the thumb and the third and fourth fingers of the right hand ; it is also steadied by the left thumb and the forefinger of the left hand, which are put under it to support it. The other blade is held between the thumb and the forefinger of the right hand. The under blade (the one first mentioned) is held firm, and forms a surface for the other blade to work upon. This form of shears is referred to by Clement of Alex- andria (Paed. III. II, p. 290) in the words : rals Suoiv /xaxaipaii rats KOVplKOl'S. It remains to explain the much disputed line in Aristophanes {Ach. 849) . As we have seen, the ju,ta /xaxan-fM was the ipaXk, a form of shears. That the i/'aAis was not the razor, as is generally sup- posed, is shown by a passage from Aristophanes, in his second Thesm. (see Meineke, II. 2, p. 1078), where he enumerates a woman's toilet articles : ivpov, KarmrTpov, i^oXiSa, etc. We must infer firom this that the i/ioXts was not the same as the ^p6v. This being the case, in the line of Aristophanes in question, clipping must be re- ferred to, and not shaving. The i/raXis seems to have resembled in form the old-fashioned sheep-shears still to be found in the rural districts. They were with- out doubt used for the purpose of shearing sheep by the ancients. Thus Hesychius defines fidxaipai as oh diroKcipcrai ra Trpd/Sara. Stephanus in his Thesaurus (s.v. Kdpa>) quotes from Galen the words ; tois Keipofia'oi'i wpo/3aTo« vtto tZv ipaXiSiav. The advantage which shears of this form possess over the Si^rX? fmxatpa is obvious, inasmuch as they can be operated with one hand, leaving the other firee to manage the animal that is being sheared. Lucian {J^sc. 46) proposes as a punishment for a false philoso- pher, airoK€ipa.T<i) Tov Triayayva iv XP*? ""ow rpayoKovpiKrj pMXpupa- If a pair of goat-shears be used to clip a false philosopher's beard, what more likely than that a pair of sheep-shears, proba- bly the same in form as the goat-shears, were used to clip an adulterer's hair? $6 Frank W. Nicolson. That shears served the double purpose of shearing sheep and clip- ping men's hair appears from a fragment of Cratinus (Aiov. II) : evcuri 8' hnaxBdi fiayaxpax KQniplhfn ats Kd.pofU.v TO. Trp6/3aTa koI tovi Trot/tcj/as. The words of Phrynichus (292), discussing the difference in the use of the aorist middle and passive, are interesting in this connection : Kop^vai Koi iKaprjv (JMiXiv, Kal clvai tovtov rrpoi to KclpaxrOax OM(f>opa.v. to f/jev yap hrl irpo^aTOiv nOeaai koI iirl ari/juyu KovpSs • KapaxrOaj. Sk iirl avOpanraiv, 6 Set <l>v\a.TTeiv. If the above explanation be accepted, we must suppose a reference to a close clip of the hair, like the lajiroi above described, with per- haps some peculiar characteristic which would distinguish the victim as branded by the law. Liddell and Scott state that the " adulterer's cut" was the taJTro^. There is no proof of this, except that both were done with the /itiz pAxaipa. So Hesychius : ttjv \(.yop.€vriv KrjTrov Kovpav /XM iiui)(a.ipa eKcipovro.