Roman baldness

[Moosemanmoo]

How come so many of my FM's are bald?
Like seriously, I rarely get a bald Carthaginian or Macedonian (except Antigonos)
Yet about a third of my young, hip, Romani rockstars come of age with a slight lack of hair
Any reason for this? Or is it just for the lolz?

[Vasiliyi]

I WISH i could answer this the way I want to but.....

I think they were actually just balding people.

[Celtic_Punk]

random pictures.

though romans have a genetical predisposition to be bald money grubbing, powerhungry, demagogues. This has been scientifically proven on multiple levels.

[Watchman]

At least most of the busts of assorted Roman bigwigs (the subject AFAIK generally being in his forties or older) I can think of out of hand seem to suggest it was a pretty common trait among the patrician families, anyway. I also seem to have gotten the impression that the later Imperial elites from the provinces, ie. Romanised subjects, seem to have been less prone to it.

...not exactly scientifically solid, that.

[antisocialmunky]

No Hair = No Lice = No Gauls Ripping Your Scalp Off In Combat.

[Watchman]

Safety First - Wear A Helmet.

[Aemilius Paulus]

How come so many of my FM's are bald?

It could be explained quite easily by the fact that wearing a helmet for so much time in your life tends to cause that. Sure, there is padding, but from what I read, many knights in the Medieval times had shiny heads due to the hair being rubbed out by the helmet... Same could happen to the Romans. At the same time, the generals and senior officers had to wear helmets less than the soldiers, I would suppose, but still...

Most patricians would start in the army off higher or at least at the level of a centurion/primus pilus, correct? I do not recollect Roman nobility starting out as that or any lower. At the same time, even the chief commanders of armies would often fight alongside soldiers, and someone such as a legate was certainly expected to fight to hearten the men.

I wonder how accurate that would be?

[Jebivjetar]

I think that Romans did shave their heads because they didnt know to read correctly. Therefore they misunderstood one sentence like this:

"The gods favor the bAld"

[Cute Wolf]

But from HBO's ROME serial... I can conclude that most of the Patricians of Roma... they are just portayed as coitus-maniacs... and higher stance of testosterone in real condition often lead into baldness of hair...

[Aemilius Paulus]

But from HBO's ROME serial... I can conclude that most of the Patricians of Roma... they are just portayed as coitus-maniacs... and higher stance of testosterone in real condition often lead into baldness of hair...

Coarse joke aside, it is more likely the motion pictures of our day reflect ourselves better, and our obsession with coitus... It is all a part of the projection theory.

[option]

HBO's Rome is so awesome. Too bad it got cut short.

[Macilrille]

But from HBO's ROME serial... I can conclude that most of the Patricians of Roma... they are just portayed as coitus-maniacs... and higher stance of testosterone in real condition often lead into baldness of hair...

HBO's Rome is great historical propagation, but a source it is not!

I know you are kidding, but some people do not.

[Maion Maroneios]

I think that Romans did shave their heads because they didnt know to read correctly. Therefore they misunderstood one sentence like this:

"The gods favor the bAld"

Maion

[machinor]

LOL @ jebivjetar!

[antisocialmunky]

"The gods favor the bAld"

It should be 'Fortune Favors the Bald' but L0L.

[Jebivjetar]

It should be 'Fortune Favors the Bald' but L0L.

Well, through literature you have many versions of the same ideas. In this one ive taken one Ovid verse "The gods favor the bold"

Thanx for balloon

[Macilrille]

It could be explained quite easily by the fact that wearing a helmet for so much time in your life tends to cause that. Sure, there is padding, but from what I read, many knights in the Medieval times had shiny heads due to the hair being rubbed out by the helmet... Same could happen to the Romans. At the same time, the generals and senior officers had to wear helmets less than the soldiers, I would suppose, but still...

Most patricians would start in the army off higher or at least at the level of a centurion/primus pilus, correct? I do not recollect Roman nobility starting out as that or any lower. At the same time, even the chief commanders of armies would often fight alongside soldiers, and someone such as a legate was certainly expected to fight to hearten the men.

I wonder how accurate that would be?

Patricians would never demean themselves to serve as Centurion, not even if Primus Pilum. AFAICR Patricians served as Military Tribunes or Questors, Centurions were Plebs, most likely from the 2nd and 3rd property class and the Primus Pilum was the most distinguished Centurion. He would often end up in the Equestrian Class from his service, but Patrician he was not!

[Watchman]

Patricians would never demean themselves to serve as Centurion, not even if Primus Pilum. AFAICR Patricians served as Military Tribunes or Questors, Centurions were Plebs, most likely from the 2nd and 3rd property class and the Primus Pilum was the most distinguished Centurion. He would often end up in the Equestrian Class from his service, but Patrician he was not!

Didn't a lot of Equestrians enter the military at Centurion level, though ? It should be recalled it was both a very prestigious, and reasonably senior, rank roughly equivalent to lower-to-middle end modern commissioned officers after all...

[Macilrille]

Didn't a lot of Equestrians enter the military at Centurion level, though ? It should be recalled it was both a very prestigious, and reasonably senior, rank roughly equivalent to lower-to-middle end modern commissioned officers after all...

I do not remember out of hand, but I think it would depend on the period. Equistrians originally had that name because they served in the cavalry as we all know. Usually I would expect a Centurion to come rather from the upper middle class. 2nd and 3rd property class. But for sources I would have to do some digging, which I do not have the time for right now.

[Watchman]

Equistrians originally had that name because they served in the cavalry as we all know.

Well, obviously. Per definition during the early militia system. But wasn't the Primus Pilum position a "post-Marian" one...?