Displaying female virtue through figural decoration of hairpins in the Roman World
Abstract
Haircare and coiffure making were not acts of mere adornment and fashion for Roman women. These activities had layered symbolic messages attributed to them. The natural look of the hair was seen as uncivilized, suitable only for Barbarians. Furthermore, the erotic potential of hair demanded that it couldn’t be let loose, but rather controlled through tying and braiding, presumably with help of hairpins.A special place among hairpins is held by specimens with figural modeled heads, most notably in form of the right hand holding various objects, female busts and standing representations of Venus Pudica. Given that some of the objects depicted in the first group of hairpins are standard parts of the so-called mundus muliebris which comprised of items used for adornment, it is proposed that these hairpins were used to signal that wearer is behaving accordingly to the expectations of the society. Similarly, ones with female busts (proba...bly of Empresses, literal embodiments of female virtue) and Venus (symbol of modesty and chastity), were used as a manifestation of the same idea.
Keywords:
Roman women / HairpinsSource:
Adornment as expression of everyday identity in ancient and medieval life, Norwegian Institute in Rome, 12-13.09.2019., 2019Publisher:
- Rome : Norwegian Institute in Rome
Funding / projects:
- IRS - Viminacium, roman city and military legion camp - research of material and non-material of inhabitants by using the modern technologies of remote detection, geophysics, GIS, digitalisation and 3D visualisation (RS-MESTD-Integrated and Interdisciplinary Research (IIR or III)-47018)
Collections
Institution/Community
Археолошки институт / Institute of ArchaeologyTY - CONF AU - Danković, Ilija PY - 2019 UR - http://rai.ai.ac.rs/handle/123456789/1292 AB - Haircare and coiffure making were not acts of mere adornment and fashion for Roman women. These activities had layered symbolic messages attributed to them. The natural look of the hair was seen as uncivilized, suitable only for Barbarians. Furthermore, the erotic potential of hair demanded that it couldn’t be let loose, but rather controlled through tying and braiding, presumably with help of hairpins.A special place among hairpins is held by specimens with figural modeled heads, most notably in form of the right hand holding various objects, female busts and standing representations of Venus Pudica. Given that some of the objects depicted in the first group of hairpins are standard parts of the so-called mundus muliebris which comprised of items used for adornment, it is proposed that these hairpins were used to signal that wearer is behaving accordingly to the expectations of the society. Similarly, ones with female busts (probably of Empresses, literal embodiments of female virtue) and Venus (symbol of modesty and chastity), were used as a manifestation of the same idea. PB - Rome : Norwegian Institute in Rome C3 - Adornment as expression of everyday identity in ancient and medieval life, Norwegian Institute in Rome, 12-13.09.2019. T1 - Displaying female virtue through figural decoration of hairpins in the Roman World UR - https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_1292 ER -
@conference{ author = "Danković, Ilija", year = "2019", abstract = "Haircare and coiffure making were not acts of mere adornment and fashion for Roman women. These activities had layered symbolic messages attributed to them. The natural look of the hair was seen as uncivilized, suitable only for Barbarians. Furthermore, the erotic potential of hair demanded that it couldn’t be let loose, but rather controlled through tying and braiding, presumably with help of hairpins.A special place among hairpins is held by specimens with figural modeled heads, most notably in form of the right hand holding various objects, female busts and standing representations of Venus Pudica. Given that some of the objects depicted in the first group of hairpins are standard parts of the so-called mundus muliebris which comprised of items used for adornment, it is proposed that these hairpins were used to signal that wearer is behaving accordingly to the expectations of the society. Similarly, ones with female busts (probably of Empresses, literal embodiments of female virtue) and Venus (symbol of modesty and chastity), were used as a manifestation of the same idea.", publisher = "Rome : Norwegian Institute in Rome", journal = "Adornment as expression of everyday identity in ancient and medieval life, Norwegian Institute in Rome, 12-13.09.2019.", title = "Displaying female virtue through figural decoration of hairpins in the Roman World", url = "https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_1292" }
Danković, I.. (2019). Displaying female virtue through figural decoration of hairpins in the Roman World. in Adornment as expression of everyday identity in ancient and medieval life, Norwegian Institute in Rome, 12-13.09.2019. Rome : Norwegian Institute in Rome.. https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_1292
Danković I. Displaying female virtue through figural decoration of hairpins in the Roman World. in Adornment as expression of everyday identity in ancient and medieval life, Norwegian Institute in Rome, 12-13.09.2019.. 2019;. https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_1292 .
Danković, Ilija, "Displaying female virtue through figural decoration of hairpins in the Roman World" in Adornment as expression of everyday identity in ancient and medieval life, Norwegian Institute in Rome, 12-13.09.2019. (2019), https://hdl.handle.net/21.15107/rcub_rai_1292 .