Roman Cosmetics Essay

The sculpture that we have observed has been dated to the first half of the first century C.E. This places the portrait during the Julio-Claudian period in Roman history. From the information we have gathered about the time period, the woman's style of dress and of the types of sculpture prevelant during the period, we have formed a possible profile of the daily life of the subject.

Late Roman Empire Art only lasted for a short extent of time. During which many changes occurred in art, predominantly changes to sculpture. This change was a moving away from sculpture being meant for a particular person to sculpture being for the people of the Roman Empire.

This included having products for skin, eyes, nails, teeth, along with other items to fulfill cosmetic needs such as an assortment of mirrors. The products were originally used for royalty and aristocracy, but then cheap versions of a similar product were made so all social classes could wear makeup. (History of Cosmetics) It is believed that modern women of today and Ancient Roman women had access to the same types of products. Roman application of makeup first consisted of a foundation that would often be made from a white lead paste for the wealthy that was poisonous. Foundation pastes were also made from orris root and chalk or a mixture of fat, starch, and tin oxide were

The idea of cosmetology and beauty was commenced by ancient tribal hunters. It is believed that they would smear ash under their eyes and use animal urine to alter their smell. This is where the idea of eyeliner and perfume originated (Schurman). Around the world cosmetology is being introduced like Egypt is suggested to be one of the most ancient culture that associates with cosmetics. Make up to them was really significant especially to the royal egyptians. Their idea of eyeliner was made up of lead, ash and mercury. The use of this eyeliner helped reduce glare, prevent any type of infection, and mostly to make their eyes beautiful (Schurman). Now the Chinese ancient culture had mixtures of natural ingredients to produce stimulating nail polish. The nail polish to these people were sign of wealth (Murphy). In ancient Rome and Greece those who could afford it would receive baths in lotions. They wore perfume, face powder, blush, eyeliner, and lipstick. During this period it was discovered that oils, lotions, and animal fat have beautification properties (Schurman).

The Egyptians are thought to be the first civilization to wear makeup. Egyptian makeup was used for various reasons, including to denote social status and simply to improve the appearance. A substance called unguent was applied to the skin as a moisturizer to protect it from the elements and discourage wrinkles. Sometimes the unguent was scented. Various oils were also used to improve the skin. Both men and women used cosmetics in ancient Egypt, with the most common look being a white face with rimmed eyes and red lips.

The Romans thought of themselves as a united, simple minded people. They were powerful for many reasons including, their military force and their government system. The ideal Roman citizen was one who held the Roman values, defended themselves and defended the state. The Romans were able to be unified because they were the popular group of that time. They were the state that everyone wanted to have citizenship granted to.

In society today, women’s hair doesn’t normally make a daily social or political statement, it played a much more important role in Ancient Rome. Roman women put a lot of thought and effort into their hair, as the aesthetics of it played a strong roll in whether society deemed them attractive, but that wasn’t all. While men of both Ancient Rome and now view this focus on physical appearance as purely a form of vanity it also went beyond the pleasing aesthetics of it, the hairstyles of Roman women were an extension of not just their own social and political standing, but that of their family. The physical appearance of these women were translated into sculpture and offered both the public and private a view of these important women. These sculptures, and sometimes even coins, weren’t just a pretty picture, they revealed intricacies into the political affiliations of the women, and would even espouse the traits and even the goddess that they wished to be associated with.

Lauren Blue 3rd period 3/6/16 Makeup in Ancient Rome Makeup was originally used during rituals More commonly used with wealthy women Imported from places like China, Germany, and Gaul There were higher end products and cheaper products just like there are today Makeup was applied in separate rooms that men did not typically enter Slaves were usually the ones that applied the makeup Scent was important because smelling good was a sign of good health Makeup smelled bad so women would use tons of perfume Pure white skin was considered to be very beautiful Women would sometimes put on natural masks to prep their skin before putting on makeup Romans didn't like wrinkles, freckles, sunspots, skin flakes

Throughout history art has consistently reflected the cultural values and social structures of individual civilizations. Ancient art serves as a useful tool to help historians decipher some important aspects of ancient culture. From art we can determine the basic moral and philosophical beliefs of many ancient societies. The differences in arts purpose in Greece and Rome, for example, show us the fundamental differences in each culture's political and moral system. The primary objective of Greek art was to explore the order of nature and to convey philosophical thought, while Roman art was used primarily as a medium to project the authority and importance of the current ruler and the greatness of

Accordingly Makeup can be used for many things. The ancient Egyptians used makeup made from oils and cream to help clean and

The story of ancient Rome is a tale of how a small community of shepherds in the central Italy grew to become one of the greatest empires in history, and then collapsed. According to Roman legend. Rome was founded in 753 B.C. By 275 B.C., it controlled most of the Italian Peninsula. In the A.D. 100’s, the Roman Empire covered about half of Europe, much of the Middle East, and the northern coast of Africa. The empire then began to crumble, party because it was too big for Rome to govern.

Have you ever thought about who created makeup? Or how it was created? When, where and how? Why was it created? How has it changed over time? Has it affected anyone? Well I’m going to tell you some of it. Make up wasn’t just created by powder or anything small and simple like that, no. Makeup actually has a lot of its own differences. In 180 BCE was when makeup had first had started but it wasn’t commonly used as much as then. People would limit the use of makeup because it was so expensive and hard to get and or find. The women who actually had it or used it were the prostitutes and the wealthier women. The “Cheap Knockoff’s” were the ones who were sold to the poorer women. The people didn’t really care if the slaves used makeup but

     "The arts of the western world have been largely dominated by the artistic standards established by the Greeks of the classical period" (Spreloosel 86). It is from the Greek word theatron, meaning a place for sitting, that we get our word theater. According to James Butler, "The Greeks were the first people to erect special structures to bring audiences and theatrical performers together" (27). "The theaters were normally located near a populated area at the bottom of or cut out of a carefully selected, sloping hillside overlooking a seascape, a plain, or a city" (Butler 30). "They eventually with few exceptions consisted of three distinct parts: theatron

He sees the creams and other products women used “as a defilement of their face”. While there can be an argument for this it can also be said that women in medieval Rome took pleasure in their appearance because that was one of the few methods they could express themselves. Roman women were not permitted to be in any form of government, trade, or even own their own land. They were always under the guardianship of either their father or their husband and the way in which women presented themselves gave some form of control over their

Fashion has been a major piece of each culture and civilization throughout time and Ancient Rome was one of the reasons of it all. Huge numbers of our styles can be followed back to the simple yet rich fashion of Ancient Rome. At the time, there was a clear distinction between the clothing of the average public and the high societies, and not only did it differed in styles however, it also was fashioned from various materials. There was additionally a contrast between the apparel of youngsters and the adults of Rome. Furthermore, unique sorts of attire were saved for religious services and other extraordinary events which held high significance in this ancient society. Examining at the fashion of Ancient Rome, it's community was a class and status cognizant society which implied that in the regular day to day existence of the people, social status was reflected and this was accurate for the clothing as well.