Era 01 · 3000 BCE – 500 CE
Antiquity: the age of wigs
Egyptian wigs, Greek fillets and Roman curling tongs.
In Egypt, the wealthy shaved their heads and wore wigs of human hair and plant fibre, set with beeswax. In Greece, hair was bound with ribbons and fillets. In Rome, slaves called ornatrices heated iron rods called calamistra over coals to build towering curls for patrician women.
Highlights
- Egyptian wigs set with beeswax
- Roman calamistrum curling irons
- Greek fillets and krobylos knots
Cover image: AI-generated still life for The History of Hair — not a museum object.
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