The Beards and Hairstyles of the Roman Emperors
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- Although the hairstyles of the emperors were less spectacular than the coiled braids and towering curls of the empresses, they were - in their way - equally interesting.
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Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:33 Early Rome
1:28 Augustus
2:23 The Julio-Claudians
3:27 Domitian
4:09 Keeps
5:07 Hadrian
5:57 The Antonines
6:39 The Third Century
Thanks for watching!
Head to keeps.com/toldinstone to get 50% off your first order of hair loss treatment.
No.
@@TexasFriedCriminal lol
Thats snake oil . Come on mate ... youre better than this .
This is the most appropriate sponsor of all time, well played sir!
That setup was fucking majsestic
Today Nero’s style of beard lives on in the form of redditors.
to be honest, this video finally taught me what the term 'neckbeard' means, after hearing the word for at least 15 years in context of nerdy gamers and forum dwellers.
@@Blackadder75 I'm still not sure they have a consensus on it.
Glad to know I'm not the only one though.
Also, for me a beard is anything under the face. Anything above is just a mustache with extras like sideburns (Papers, Please taught me about those).
Nero behaved like a redditor as well
literal neckbeard KEKW
If Nero had been born in the 21st century he definitely would have been a gamer lol
I wish that sculpting had remained at the level it was during the Empire throughout the dark ages, because nowadays, I can look at a bust of Augustus and almost see him in it.
I can't look at any portrait of William the Conqueror and go "There he is!", but I can do it with nearly every Roman emperor.
Augustus' portraits were often times idealized and did not represent the actual look of the emperor, though. Only those that have been commissioned as Augustus was young are closer to his actual appearance. Same applies to Caesar and many others. Official portraits tend to blend together the physical traits of many emperors into one. There are of course exceptions. :)
@@luciosergiocatilina1 Well, yes, but in terms of relatability to the viewer, busts are far better than not-great paintings.
@@TheHylianBatman I mean, it's not like the king is going to commission someone from Byzantium to paint him or her.
@@JonatasAdoM Fair enough. I just wish they didn't need to go all the way to Byzantium.
I actually think this reflects your own personal training/knowledge/experience of the period and its artistic conventions. Make no mistake, people at the time could just as easily look at a portrait of William the Conqueror and know exactly who it was... but for reasons other than the precise hair/facial structure.
It's amazing how the sculptors captured the spirit of the person they were sculpting. You can see the personality of each emperor written all over his face. I am willing to be they took a wax impression of the emperors face to work from.
The last one of Philip the Arab is especially striking to me. It's like you can see what he was thinking in that moment. What an insane level of craftmanship
@@11energize I wholeheartedly agree my guy, that statue is totally insaneo style 😎
I doubt the emperors submitted to sticking their faces in wax. Sculptors, just like painters, can capture a likeness without taking a physical mold. I've seen videos on UA-cam of sculptors doing quick portrait sessions with clay, and making phenomenal likenesses (might have been on Proko, or a related channel). And I suppose those clay maquettes could be used as references for the later stone carving.
I think it's safe to say they were a pretty advanced society.
They really were clever, and talented craftsmen!
It's amazing that I can see the face sculptures of 20 emperors and immediately know who they are 1800 years later. Not many other historic people can say that until the renaissance times. I have no clue what Charlemagne or William I , the Conqueror looked like.
For me William looks like Medieval II depicted him.
Although I know how the Emperors look, I tend to picture them in the actors that have played them.
yes. but coins with the portraits may give an imagination how charlemagne looked like.
There is a contemporary equestrian statue of charlemagne which gives you a pretty good idea.
As for William, he's depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, which non-naturalistic style still gives you his distinguishing features.
5:57 As a stone carver this is anxiety inspiring.
Think of it as a challenge!
There are some *amazing* portraits of Flavian women with these elaborate tiaras, essentially, of curls. Jaw-dropping towers of corkscrew curls that are nearly as tall as the woman's face, and I'd imagine anxiety-producing for both modern sculptors and hairstylists.
I will not deny the synergy of the topic and KEEPS' sponsorship of the video. The seemless integration was humourous. MANSCAPED would have been an acceptable alternative sponsor.
Of all the folks I watch on YT, toldinstone does the best at that seamless transition. It always gives me a chuckle.
If Manscaped ever feels like making me a sponsorship offer, I can promise a very entertaining video...
Somehow, this needs to happen.
Even if for one video.
@@toldinstone This must happen. Every yin needs a yang.
Nero: the first reddit moderator
We put our comments at the same time
Elagabalus must have been his co-moderator.
Domitian: If you even mention baldness in my presence, your brief new career will be fighting lions.
Also Domitian: Make sure you take extra time to carve the seam on my statue's forehead so people in 1800 years know that my wigs were amazing.
lmao
I get such a sense of individuality from each of these marble busts, they look like snapshots in stone.
I speculate that Nero's neckbeard is the paranoic result of his not wanting anyone approach his neck with anything sharp.
It was a chainmail neckbeard.
@@histguy101 If anyone dares anything, you'll have the Emperor's face hairs in your hands!
You slid that promo in so seamlessly it was a work of art.
It works because it is on topic
The entire video exists as an ad for keeps 😂
The gold sprinkle in the curls is kinda gangsta
When it came to the Eastern Romans the beards became paramount especially in regards to the Imperial court. The beardless were normally Eunuchs
The Byzantines had Eunuchs, but did the western Romans of old? I got the impression that Europeans didn't like Eunuchs.
@@fattiger6957 I’m not 100% but the Western Romans never had. The frequent use of Eunuchs began under Diocletian and Constantine the Great. Then greatly expanded on during Eastern Roman times. Eunuchs was an oriental culture aspect
Justinian didn't seem to have a beard
@@tonit4233 the early Eastern Roman Emperors varies with beards to no beards. When the time entered the late 6th and 7th centuries beards became prevalent.
@@fattiger6957 What gave you that impression? Eunuchs were common across the Mediterranean, in Greece and Rome. They were common all over the ancient world.
Fellini’s “Satyricon” featured, in the scene of the “cena Trimalchionis”, some rather fantastic Roman female hairdos. The film, then made with a great amount of creative license, is based on the 1st century AD novel of the same name by Petronius.
Which was of course likely based on the Neronian court in its decadence (though also influenced with the nouveaux riches attitude displayed by many freedmen). Petronius was famously the "arbiter elegantarum", so he had a first row seat. Until he bled himself to death.
I am blown away by the skill of the Roman sculptors! These busts are so lifelike.
The bust of Philip the Arab is impressive in its simplicity that nevertheless is very lifelike. Domitian may have been a poor ruler, but his palace on the Palatine was well built enough to survive intact long enough for Heraclius to be ceremoniously crowned there in 7th century.
I never knew that Heraclius ever visited Rome or was crowned there, that's a new fact for me.
This is so much more interesting than those hair style model catalogues that modern hairstylists let you choose from for a haircut!
Honestly, many look pretty modern. They’re all from the limited pallet of human heads and hair, so not that surprising.
But it kind of illustrates that whatever is the passing fad now, is likely not even that original, and humans have had “modern” ideas of hairstyles since at least the age of the Romans.
Next time I get a haircut, and they ask me what I want - I’m making them watch this video! :p
Pompey looking like London bus driver makes me laugh
You make videos of the random questions I have that never get answered. Truly a gem of a Channel
Fun fact - Mark Zuckerberg thinks he is Emperor Gordian II, this is why he has that awful barnet.
Gene stealers at it again
That's the most overlord alien name associated to history I've ever seen (no, I'm not making any connections to the History Channel).
It fits him.
I think the busts of Caracalla are the most intriguing. You could wonder why he chose to be portrayed like that but he gives a look like he is 3 seconds from ordering you run through with a sword, so wonder fast.
Caracalla had permanent bi-atch face! You can tell from his busts, not to mention in his fratricide, that he was a very unpleasant fellow.
that ad segue was sheer perfection *chef's kiss*
When I walk in, my full head of hair makes an entire room either giddy or angry. Deal with it.
love that i found this channel. was studying abroad in rome when covid hit and had to come home early so this is fulfilling my history fix that i missed
The details of the hair is remarkable. Roman sculptors were amazing. Great, fun video again.
Beautiful hair. 😍
that seamless transition into the ad. Top notch work. Smooth
I heard you mention Auctions in the last video you did. If you have a chance to make a video about ancient auctioneers and auctions that would be interesting!!
Thanks for another great video. You mentioned how through February there will be more variety in topics so I am really looking forward to it! One suggestion: a video on how Romans treated and viewed their pets (as apart from the animals they captured for their games - that was also a great video!) would be very interesting! Keep up the good work!
I have never seen a UA-cam channel with such perfect advertisement-video synergy
Seriously, I don't know how you always have the perfect sponsorship lined up for every topic 😂
Wow that was the best sponsor transition in the history of the internet.
Best segue to sponsorship i have EVER seen. I even watched the commercial out of respect for your class!
I've always wondered about Nero's weight gain. Did he push back and say "make me look thinner" and the images on the coins are thinner than he was in real life or was there a brief "rubenesque" period during Nero's reign where it was fashionable to be fat so the coin minters made him look fatter?
Fat does seem to have become fashionable during Nero's reign, along with his wacky hairstyles
At least on Nero's coins, the thick neck and heavy face might be references to Hercules. Or he may - like Vitellius after him - simply have preferred to be shown as he was.
It’s so crazy to me that we have these statues and coins from these old civilizations in such good shape.
yeah 1500 to 2000 years!
that Keeps segway might be the best ad transition i’ve ever seen lmao
Note the Anastole in Pompey's portrait, the flick up of hair at the front that was associated with Roman depictions of Alexander the Great.
This was an association that he greatly encouraged, especially in his assertion of his agnomen 'Magnus' (The Great).
undderated channel, thank you so much for the effort you put into your videos, people appreciate you! you are witnessed brother
that was the single smoothest ad transition ive ever witnessed. bravo
The most seamless transition to an ad i have ever seen in a UA-cam video, well done
I bought your fat gladiators book a minute ago for my wife's birthday im sure she will love it. your videos are top quality.
Haha, this is the best sponsor segue ever!
Excellent video, thank you!
That Hair loss segway was SMOOOOTH, mr.Ryan! xD
So glad to see you securing sponsors, and very happy to see your channel growing.
Fascinating! Thank you!
After reading your book, I am binge reading historical books. I discovered that Isaac Asimov wrote histories of the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, the people in the Near East, the people in Canaan, the people in the Dark Ages, and the French and the English between the years 1000 and 1450. Would you know of any other authors of books on history who use the approach similar to that of Isaac Asimov - provide an overview of the main events for laypeople?
The sponsor segue was incredible
I especially like the lifelike look of Philip the Arab's bust, as well as Hadrian's stare. They have a presence about them, as though they could come to life at any given minute.
true. those emperors knew how to impress and glorifies people of their times and future generations.
Cool choice of sponsor dude
Not once in my life I thought I would want to know which stile the people of over 2000 years ago were rocking, but UA-cam recommended it to me and now I've gotta know.
if you gavent watched other videos made by toldinstone, you should, because its good.
I do salute your inventiveness in choosing sponsors to match the subjects of your videos, and (?) the other way around. But of course the diversity of those subjects remains the most impressive.
How did the Romans shave? I can't imagine that they had access to modern razors or facial products such as shaving cream. How did they do it? I would love to know.
You might want to check out the Google preview of my book; Ch. 2 is: "How did the Greeks and Romans shave?"
Very carefully
I have seen people shave with machetes so it shouldn't have been a problem to use a sword.
@@lucario2188 still have to be careful
@@lucario2188 I won't second guess you about this, however, I find it hard to believe that Roman men were walking around with swords to their face. Something smaller, maybe.
'what a neck-beard dies in me.'
Hahaha the father of them all
This channel was an *insta-sub* when I first stumbled over (upon?) it.
It's a top-tier cornucopia of cool, a fascinating fountain to which I return daily (at least).
Regards,
Kev
ps. As Tennyson is not illustrated, I had no idea what *porphyry* looked like until *The Hidden History of St. Peter's Basilica.*
Keep 'em coming!
-K.
Thank you lots for uploading consistently.
Only because it was so noticeable in this video but could you maybe make a video addressing the missing nose thing on statues. I’m not convinced they fell off naturally or that bogus tale of ancient Egyptian grave robbers were superstitious, it might be worth putting to bed after all
Of all the statues and busts shown in this video, only 2 had a damaged nose, and those 2 were clearly damaged elsewhere, as in they fell at some point. When a stone statue falls, the first thing to break is the nose.
@@histguy101 Nobody Nose for sure...
Christus Regnet yeah I probably wasn’t counting, it would be cool if someone could offer a plausible theory
🙄
It often was done by iconoclasts to damage someones portrait with just one easy strike. You can see this on portraits of donators of english cathedrals for example. It would be interesting to see whos portraits nose was damaged by whom in history and why...
That sponsor transition was smooth lol, fitting sponsor for this video I guess
I caught myself thinking about clicking the link even though my hair is full and luscious
Thank you for the video!
Dude, seriously, smooth move on the sponsor man that was a perfect transition
That has to be the best ad transition ever
Great show, thanks so much.
Augustus let his hair and beard grow long to mourn the disaster of the Teutoberg Forest battle.
Another interesting topic I'd never thought of 🤔 keep it up :)
I just love this channel!!!!
That ad read segue got me, great video!
The proclivities of the emperors offer a wonderful distillation of human vanity. They're clearly not without their reasons, and always in the name of projecting an image that connotes specific virtues. Obviously some were more successful than others-not unlike ourselves. Excellent instruction on the subject, as always, Garrett.
Dominion was an alright ruler in my book, he was at least capable of doing the job competently and had a real vision for what he wanted the Empire to be. (His sound financial policies and administrative reforms were also pretty cool, as was his urban construction program). The aristocracy really did hate him though, with some justification, since he had the political tact of an angry elephant and went out of his way to needlessly antagonize the senate. And sense it was that very same aristocracy writing about his reign post assassination, it is understandable that they would try to portray him as the second coming of Nero when he really wasn’t.
I totally agree with you. But I think Domitian recalling Agricola was his biggest mistake a totally pacified Britain could have prevented a lot of headaches for the Romans.
@@theicepickthatkilledtrotsk658
There’s certainly a valid argument for that, but at the same time it was part of a deliberate strategy on Domitian’s part. Like Augustus he believed that the Empire had expanded to as large as it could be, and further expansion would only serve to exhaust and over extend it. And while it’s true that Agricola had just smashed the Caledonians in a massive victory, so had Septimius Severus some one hundred years later. And as we know the Caledonians simply resorted to guerrilla warfare until the Romans left, so it’s entirely feasible that simply would have happened a century earlier. It’s also possible that a Roman Caledonia would serve as a bleeding ulcer for the Romans, considering the cost to benefit ratio of holding Britain was at times questionable. It is feasible that a Roman Caledonia would do little more then produce major rebellions that had to be put down every decades.
But then again it is really hard to know either way.
@@dantecaputo2629 Strictly strategically speaking it would have been better to conquer the entire island or not be there at all. The fact that the island was never pacified meant that the province needed to be turned into a fortress. So many soldiers and additional resources were needed to be allocated there. A lot of things change over those 100 years.
As for Septimius Severus, he was the only emperor totally committed to conquering Caledonia. He brought the largest foreign army on British soil, turned Eboracum into effectively the capital of the empire for that short period. When the Caledonians resorted to guerrilla warfare. He launched a brutal genocidal campaign against them that depopulated whole areas. He would have most likely succeeded but he died from gout. His two sons had no interest in finishing what he started and returned back to Rome.
Agreed
you cant say he was an okay ruler if you never lived under his rule. You are most likely reading from his supporters and his fans rather than people who actually lived and suffered through his rule as emperor
This channel is goated for sure.
I wear a short Caesarian style similar to Augustus. Does get a few compliments 😅😎
Damn, that was the smoothest transition into a advertisement that ever seen.
Interesting topic- beautiful curl carvings- Marcus looking quite handsome! Nice segway to your sponsor!!
Im so glad you brought up phillip the arab for your example! I just recently purchased a ancient silver coin made during his reign. I got it from the famous pawn shop in las vegas.
He had great wigs! Haha. Great content, and very competent presentation! Love the ad.
Lucius Verus - Sprinkling gold dust on his hair was a definitely a playa move.
Ad placement on point
"Roman empresses sported some of history's most formidable hairdos" is an amazing sentence
200K+ subscribers let's go dr!!
Man, Lucius Verus sure have some luscious furs on him!
Dude, yes! Been wondering about this
Do another "time travel to Rome" video.
I really need the tips.
so happy you're sponsored! your work is everything i need for my roman love!!!! AETERNA ROMA!!!! AETERNA VITRIX!
Cool and relative sponsor! Love your vids :)
Nero: "I'm a poet and a great artist, not to mention an architect, a talented athlete and an overall nice guy." Also has a neckbeard, would definitely have a fedora if they existed then.
And little round glasses like John Lennon’s.
Thank you for hours of incredible education
My pleasure!
Lmaoooo you made a whole video about hair for a hair loss add !!!!! I commend your effort good sir 😂😂😂😂😂
Since long beard were associated with philosophers by some Romans, wasn't there a saying like, "A beard does not make one a philosopher"? I think I read that once.
A swallow does not a summer make
@@CatnamedMittens
GAYYY
Thank you. This is a fascinating way to study what Romans really looked liked because...there it is in marble and stone! I think most people just look at these busts and statues as amazing art that somehow managed to survive two thousand years. But you look at them as history of Rome and people of that era. What an unbelievable portal into so much of the Roman culture.
That was a smooth transition to the hairloss advertisement 😂
The craftsmanship and skill on these portraits are just astonishing.
if you havent watched other videos made by toldinstone, you should, because its good. for example hidden treasures in the batican museums or why so many statues naked. both are a while old so you need to scroll through.
I never saw the ad segue coming that was good
Fantastic I look at examples for my drawing too painting for inspiration and examples too Putt on model.
I love how smooth that ad intro was lol
Lets bring back some of these hairstyles.
Good ass video. I never thought about any of this.
wouldnt have tought i be intrested 2000 year old facial hairs but here i am watching
I really enjoyed this feature on hairstyles of Romans Emporers. As a person who Inheritance my Father's baldness, I can easily relate how hair effects persons image.
*_I'VE READ THAT MARK ZUCKERBERG KEEPS HIS HAIR THE WAY HE DOES BECAUSE HE'S A BIG AUGUSTUS CAESAR FAN._*
Octavian's statues are more human than zucc.
Though most contemporary politicians are cleanshaven, having a beard for image reasons is still very important even today.
The most important video so far..!
Very interesting!
this guy and his sponsors man