History of Barber

[g.suresh...@gmail.com]

The barber's trade is an ancient one. Razors have been found among
relics of the Bronze Age (circa 3500 BC) in Egypt, and barbering is
mentioned in the Bible by Ezekiel who said "Now, son of man, take a
sharp sword and use it as a barber's razor to shave your head and your
beard. (5:1 NIV)"
Shaving, either of the head or face, was not always a voluntary act,
for it has been enforced by law in England and elsewhere.Cleanliness
and vanity were therefore not the sole reasons for a "clean shave";
the origins lie deeper.
Before the Macedonian conquest brought the custom of clean shaving,
the κουρευς in the Greek agora would trim and style his patrons'
beards, hair, and fingernails, as gossip and debate flowed freely.
Barbering was introduced to Rome from the Greek colonies in Sicily in
296 B.C. and barber shops quickly became very popular centres for
daily news and gossip. A morning visit to the tonsor became a part of
the daily routine as important as the visit to the public baths, and a
young man's first shave (tonsura) was an essential part of his coming
of age ceremony.

A few Roman tonsores became wealthy and influential, running shops
that were favorite loci publici of high society; most were simple
tradesmen, owning small storefronts or setting up their stool in the
street and offering shaves for a mere quadrans. Some had reputations
as clumsy butchers who left their patrons scarred about the cheeks and
chin; their dull bronze or copper (never steel) razors must share some
of the blame. The better barbers offered depilatories for those
customers who refused the razor.
The barbers of former times were also surgeons and dentists. As well
as haircutting, hairdressing, and shaving, barbers performed surgery,
blood-letting, cupping and leeching, enemas, and the extraction of
teeth. Thus they were called barber surgeons and they formed their
first organization in 1094.