Trousers, hats and beards

[Cyclops]

I posted this on TWC a while ago:

I have found a refence to Roman facial hair in a book called Scipio Africanus: Rome's Greatest General.

On page 3 he notes "Roman Historians credit Scipio with being the first man in Rome to shave daily...Roman soldiers wore beards until Scipio's day...until the end of empire, Roman soldiers shaved daily".

He cites an entry in A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities ed. Wiliam Smith published London 1854 entitled Barba (beards I guess) pp196-8 which I am unable to crosscheck. A shame I can't give primary sources for this. I know how important this is to the mod, so I apologise: does anyone else have a reference for this?

Anyhoo, is there a case to skin Camillan Romans with beards?

On a less serious note should the Polybian reforms be renamed the Gillette reforms?

I believe EB period Greeks were mostly clean shaven but the Romans were bearded until the "Polybian reform" (=Scipionic reform, why does Marius get named and Scipio not?). IIRC the reson given for the fashion of shaving and close cropping facial hair (which had become prevalent by Alexander's day, but not originated by him) was so the dangly hairs would not be gripped by an enemy in battle.

If you ask me the shaving business sounds rather Theban, all those fashionable men in the Sacred Band trimming and preening as part of their elite, Spartan-arse-kicking status.

So I'll ask again if I may: is there a chance for bearded Camillans?