A team of archaeologists has discovered that our obsession with hair removal dates back to Roman times.
Archaeologists are working at Wroxeter Roman City, in Shropshire, England. they will find A large collection of over 50 tweezers at the site dating from the 2nd to 4th century CE.
They also found skin lotion, perfume bottles, jewelry, and makeup—showing how important cleanliness and beauty were to the Romans.
English Heritage says hair removal practices were as common for men as they were for women, noting that men involved in sports such as wrestling were expected to remove their hair.
Cameron Moffett, English Heritage Curator at Wroxeter Roman City, a museum which opened last week, said The Times that “you had to have a look. And the look was hairless, especially in the armpits.”
In Roman times, the practice of cutting hair was often carried out by slaves, while English Heritage shares a letter from the Roman writer and politician Seneca, who complained that people were constantly shaving, saying that “the barber of the armpit who cries and is angry, to attract the attention of the people, and don’t stop, unless he’s doing his job and getting someone to yell at him.”
Moffet said: “At Wroxeter alone, we have found over 50 pairs of knives, one of the largest collections of this item in Britain, showing that it was a common accessory. It’s cheap, but unfortunately it’s not going to hurt.”
This article was first published by Business Insider.
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