Charlemagne's Mustache
Feb. 10th, 2005 02:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunnyjadwigaJust returned (late) the copy of Charlemagnes' Mustache: and other cultural clusters of a dark age, by Paul Edward Dutton (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004). Interestingly enough, I note that my library has bought a copy while I had the thing on ILL.
Anyway, the only reason I borrowed it was because of the first chapter, which discusses Carolingian hairstyles. It has an interesting take on it, that uncut hair was seen as a symbol of power early on in the Germanic areas, so Germanic kings were hirsuite; but the Roman influence went for the clean-shaven, short haired, and slowly that came to be the mark of civilization. When hair was power, putting royal claimants in cloisters and cutting and tonsuring their hair was a much more powerful symbol than when short hair was in fashion for the powerful-- so, he says, that is why the habit of blinding and otherwise mutilating rebellious throne claimants grew up in the centuries around the Millenium. Some good illustrations of hairstyles, but nothing really on hair care, which is what I was looking for.
the other chapters are:
Charlemagne, King of Beasts, about the animal mythology and symbolism in the Carolingian empire
Karolus Magnus Scriptor, about the royal relations on reading and writing
Of Carolingian Kings and their Stars-- astrology/astronomy in the history and descriptions of Carolingian reigns
Whispering Secrets to a Dark Age-- what sort of verbal communications, secrets, etc. were there?
A World Grown Old with Poets and Kings-- Carolingian kings and power/old age progressions
Thunder and Hail over the Carolingian Countryside-- symbolism of weather in histories of the kings
Anyway, the only reason I borrowed it was because of the first chapter, which discusses Carolingian hairstyles. It has an interesting take on it, that uncut hair was seen as a symbol of power early on in the Germanic areas, so Germanic kings were hirsuite; but the Roman influence went for the clean-shaven, short haired, and slowly that came to be the mark of civilization. When hair was power, putting royal claimants in cloisters and cutting and tonsuring their hair was a much more powerful symbol than when short hair was in fashion for the powerful-- so, he says, that is why the habit of blinding and otherwise mutilating rebellious throne claimants grew up in the centuries around the Millenium. Some good illustrations of hairstyles, but nothing really on hair care, which is what I was looking for.
the other chapters are:
Charlemagne, King of Beasts, about the animal mythology and symbolism in the Carolingian empire
Karolus Magnus Scriptor, about the royal relations on reading and writing
Of Carolingian Kings and their Stars-- astrology/astronomy in the history and descriptions of Carolingian reigns
Whispering Secrets to a Dark Age-- what sort of verbal communications, secrets, etc. were there?
A World Grown Old with Poets and Kings-- Carolingian kings and power/old age progressions
Thunder and Hail over the Carolingian Countryside-- symbolism of weather in histories of the kings
