The Romans wore a wide variety of headgear, from the simple laurel wreath to the elaborate crested helmet.
The laurel wreath was a sign of victory and accomplishment, so it was worn by generals, athletes, and poets. The wreath itself was made of branches or leaves from a bay tree, which is where it gets its name. You might remember this symbol from the story of Julius Caesar: when he returned to Rome after conquering Gaul, he wore a wreath of laurels as he rode through the streets on his chariot.
The crested helmet was also known as a bucket helmet because it looked like one. It had two ridges (or “crests”) that extended back from the top of the head like ears and protected your ears from getting cut off in battle; however, they also made you look kind of funny!
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Roman Headcovering Customs
It is known that Roman priests covered their heads in religious ceremonies. Some ancient statues of Caesar Augustus show him with a covered head because he was the Pontifex Maximus of Rome, and because he was interested in promoting the “traditional values” of the Romans, for political reasons. Because Corinth was a Roman colony, some scholars have recently suggested that the Apostle Paul is referring to this Roman custom in 1 Corinthians 11:4. Presumably Roman citizens in Corinth would have observed their Roman customs when worshipping Roman gods. But it seems rather far-fetched to think that Greek Christians in Corinth would have imitated this custom of Roman priests. Even among the Romans, not all gods were worshipped with covered heads.
In connection with religion, there is an interesting passage in Tertullian’s On the Pallium which indicates that there were a number of different customs of dress associated with different cults. While recommending the old-fashioned pallium to Carthaginians he ridicules the novelties introduced by exotic cults, saying, “for the sake of an all-white dress, and the distinction of a fillet, and the privilege of a helmet, some are initiated into the mysteries of Ceres; while, on account of an opposite hankering after sombre raiment, and a gloomy woollen covering upon the head, others run mad in Bellona’s temple; while the attraction of surrounding themselves with a tunic more broadly striped with purple, and casting over their shoulders a cloak of Galatian scarlet, commends Saturn to the affections of others.”The cult of Isis, which was imported from Egypt during the time of Augustus, and was especially popular among women, featured ceremonies in which priests covered their heads but priestesses did not.
Roman Headwear
The costume traditions of the ancient Romans were, in general, fairly simple. Romans did not tend to wear hats or decorative headdresses throughout the long history of their civilization, which lasted from the founding of the city of Rome in 753 b.c.e. to the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 c.e. But this does not mean that Roman customs and traditions of hair and hairstyling were not important. In fact, Romans had some interesting rituals relating to hair.
They believed that washing their hair too frequently would disturb the spirits that watched over them. Yet they also believed that it was very important to wash their hair on August 13 as a celebration of the birthday of Diana, the goddess of the hunt. Sailors believed that it was back luck to cut their hair aboard ship—except during a storm.
What did the romans wear on their heads?
The Romans wore a lot of different types of headgear. They had hats, caps, turbans, hoods and even crowns! Some of the more popular styles were:
The Phrygian cap: This was a soft hat that was worn by freed slaves. It is also called a liberty cap because it represented freedom from slavery.
The pileus: This was a soft cap worn by freed slaves and lower-class citizens. The pileus was usually made of felt or leather, but sometimes wool or linen fabrics were used as well. It was often decorated with embroidery or simple designs like stripes around the edges. Some pilei had no decoration at all!
The Calceus: This was a shoe-like hat that was worn by wealthy Romans during festivals such as Saturnalia or during sporting events like chariot races or gladiator fights where they wanted to show off their status as being wealthy enough to afford such luxuries (like shoes!).
Roman haircut male
1. The Classic Caesar
To see the original Caesar, why not go straight to the source? Here’s a bust of Julius Caesar that showcases his trademark hairstyle. The short hair and straight fringe are the most infamous aspects of his haircut.
And they’ve formed the basis for all kinds of Caesar cut variations over the years. With a classic Caesar, the hair is the same length all over the head with literally no variation in length at all, not even on the back or sides.
However, this is the most malleable aspect of the Caesar, and many Caesar styles feature at least slight variations in length. Additionally, while Caesar is pictured as having curlier hair, the style works with just about any hair type.
2. The Polished Caesar Haircut
George Clooney is one of the most famous celebrities to sport the Caesar cut. He wears it a bit tidier than how our old pal Julius did, but it’s mostly a textbook Caesar cut.
The biggest difference is that his hair has less texture to create a more polished look. A small note here is that the hair on top is brushed to the side, though you can barely tell with how short the hair is.
The hair is brushed to the side it normally falls on (with the grain) for the neatest possible look. Again, it’s almost imperceptible, but it makes a big difference when it comes to how clean the hair looks.
3. The Extra Short Caesar
Though the Caesar is already a short hairstyle, some guys prefer even shorter versions. This close-cut variation is clearly inspired by military styles and features a high fade on the sides to give the short hair on top a little more visual weight. A nice touch is the semi-shaved part line that’s not quite a hard part.
4. The Full Caesar
Kiselev Andrey Valerevich/Shutterstock
Alternatively, you can opt for a longer and fuller Caesar cut like the one shown here. This haircut is a basic Caesar with a few small touches, like a curved fringe instead of a straight one.
It’s longer than a standard Caesar haircut, but not by much. So it’s a good choice for men who want a low maintenance hairstyle that’s not extremely short.
5. Faded Caesar Haircut
Most traditional Caesar haircuts are the same length all over the head, but many modern variations change that up by altering the proportions a bit. Here, a fade is used to provide a huge amount of contrast that the Caesar doesn’t normally have.
With the fade and the rounded fringe, this style gets into crop territory. But it’s clearly Caesar-inspired. Another strong feature of this haircut is the hair on top styled forward in small sections to create a texture reminiscent of choppy ocean waves.
This is a great way to add a lot of depth to a shorter hairstyle using just a bit of styling product. To keep this haircut looking its best, you’ll want to make regular trips to your barber or stylist to keep everything (especially the fade) nice and trimmed.
Ancient roman jewellery
Many rich Roman women owned expensive jewellery. They wore precious stones such as opals, emeralds, diamonds, topaz and pearls set as earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches, necklaces and diadems. Anklets were also sported – though not by respectable matrons! Amongst the wealthy in a busy provincial town like Cirencester there must have been those who could afford to wear such treasures. The numbers of less-expensive pieces found on this and other Roman sites suggest that most people were accustomed to wear jewellery of some kind.
Earring
Women loved earrings and there are references stating how their ears became distorted as a result. Pliny says that women spent more on their ears than on any other part of their bodies and continued:
“Women glory in hanging pearls on their fingers and using two or more for a single car-ring … as if they enjoyed the sound and mere rattling together of the pearls; nowadays oven more people covet them – it is a common saying that a pearl is as good as a lackey for a lady when she walks abroad”
Bracelets (Armillae)
Bracelets of bronze, bone and jet are frequently found. These vary in size and design – some plain, some decorated, some of twisted metal. The clasps vary too. Some are bent together at the edges but not fastened, some are riveted, some have a hook and loop and some have quite sophisticated hinges.
Bracelets were also made of shale, a soft material which was quarried and used for jewellery and drinking vessels during the Iron Age. The Romans continued to exploit this material and used it for carving furniture and making jewellery. Children and babies also wore bangles. Bracelets were often buried with the dead and are therefore found as grave goods.BraceletShorncote bracelet
Rings
Rings occur frequently on Roman sites and there are many designs and types. Rings were worn by men, women and children. They were made of silver, gold, bronze, iron and jet and sometimes had precious stones and intaglios set in them. Some are plain bands but others have more intricate designs.
Necklaces
Torques were worn in Britain before the Roman conquest and from epigraphic evidence we know that these continued to be worn by Romans of importance. Chain and bead necklaces were more commonly sported and bead necklaces in particular seem to have been very popular. Occasionally a string of beads included a small charm or amulet to guard the wearer against evil. Heads of glass, coral, shell, jet, ivory and amber are found in all shapes and sizes. The most typical Roman bead was the melon bead. These were made of glass, covered with a turquoise glaze and ridged.
