The Roman Britons cared a lot about hair removal, and it shows in artifacts

Monday, June 5, 2023 - 10:43 in Paleontology & Archaeology

An conservator from English Heritage looks at one of over 50 pairs of tweezers Roman men and women used to remove armpit hair. Jim Holden/English Heritage Ancient Romans were apparently staunch believers that “pain is beauty,” especially when body hair removal is involved. A collection of tweezers once used to remove armpit hair are amidst over 400 new artifacts on display at a Wroxeter Roman City in Shropshire, England.  [Related: This ancient Roman villa was equipped with wine fountains.] Some of the objects related to both cleanliness and beauty in Roman times include a skin scraper called a strigil, bottles of perfume, jewelry made from jet and bone, amulets to ward off evil, and make-up applicators.  “At Wroxeter alone we have discovered over 50 pairs of tweezers, one of the largest collections of this...

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