Roman skin care secrets at the AUB Museum

Main Links
- About AUB
  About AUB
  
  Founded in 1866, the American University of Beirut is a teaching-centered research university based on the American liberal arts model of higher education. AUB has over 8,000 students and 800 faculty members. The University encourages freedom of thought and expression and seeks to graduate men and women committed to creative and critical thinking, lifelong learning, personal integrity, civic responsibility, and leadership.
- Academics
  Academics
  
  AUB is accredited in the US by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and includes six faculties: Arts and Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Architecture, Agricultural and Food Sciences, Health Sciences, and Business. AUB offers more than 130 programs leading to bachelor's, master's, MD, and PhD degrees. The main language of instruction is English.
- Admissions
  Admissions
  
  Learn more about how you can join the American University of Beirut. AUB seeks applicants with a proven record of academic excellence, intellectual vitality, and civic responsibility. In accordance with its founding mission and its equal opportunity policy, the University admits students regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, or nationality.
- Research
  Research
  
  The vibrant and dynamic research environment at AUB enhances the educational experience for all and serves the wider communities—local and global—by advancing knowledge in a wide range of disciplines.
- Outreach
  Outreach
  
  Recognizing and honoring our responsibility for others has been an integral part of AUB’s mission since the earliest days. Today, AUB is at the forefront of addressing the most pressing concerns of this country, this region, and its people.
- Boldly Campaign
  BOLDLY Campaign
  
  To ensure the University can continue to inspire current and future generations of smart and able students who can rise to this challenge, we are embarking on a transformative capital campaign, BOLDLY AUB: The Campaign to Lead, Innovate, and Serve.
AUB Community
- A - Z
- Find People
- Libraries
- Alumni
Public
- Telehealth
- AUBMC
- Give
Useful Tools
- E-learning
- AUBSIS
- Webmail
- Title IX Online Training

Roman skin care secrets at the AUB Museum

They look like scary and weapon-like, but these Roman strigils are not what they seem.

The ancient Romans were famous for their love of bathing, but one thing you wouldn’t find at your local baths was a bar of soap.* Instead, the Romans—like the Greeks before them—got squeaky clean by covering themselves in perfumed oils which were then removed with a curved scraping device called a strigil, that lifted dirt, perspiration, and dead skin from the body, leaving a clean, exfoliated surface. Depictions of strigils, along with the oils they scraped off, are frequently associated with athletes, soldiers, and weathly men and women.

Strigils are usually made of iron and bronze, but examples in silver, lead, bone, and ivory
have also been found. Different sizes seem to be designed for the different areas of the body. They are usually slightly concave, with both edges sharp¬ened, and often bear inscriptions and decorations, along with the stamp of the maker or the owner.

* Soap has been in use since at least Sumerian times (c. 5,000 years ago) but it was manufactured for washing wool and cotton rather than personal hygiene.

The photographs show two bronze strigils from the AUB Archaeological Museum, dating back to the Roman period.
Photo 2. The handle is decorated on the inside with an ivy pattern and stamp of the maker, and on the outside with incised circles and dots (Width: 11 cm, Length: 22 cm, Thickness: 1.3 cm, Weight: 83.2 grs);
Photo 3. The blade of the strigil is bent to an acute angle, and the handle, which is in one piece with the blade, is in the form of a rectangular loop with cross-piece in the middle (Width: 13 cm, Length: 24.4 cm, Thickness: 2.2 cm, Weight: 104.8 grs.).

The last photo shows women in a bath using strigils (Painting by Sir Lawrence Alma- Tadema, 1880)

Stay tuned to discover more artifacts from the AUB Archaeological Museum.

Bronze strigils at the AUB Museum	Women in a bath using strigils (Painting by Sir Lawrence Alma- Tadema, 1880)
Bronze strigil (Inv.# 57.49); Roman Period; Width: 11 cm, Length: 22 cm, Thickness: 1.3 cm, Weight: 83.2 grs.	Bronze strigil (Inv.# 56.18); Roman Period; Width: 13 cm, Length: 24.4 cm, Thickness: 2.2 cm, Weight: 104.8 grs.

Contact Us

For various questions, please try contacting us via social media first!
read more

Privacy Statement

We take data privacy seriously and adhere to all applicable data privacy laws and regulations.
read more

Copyright and Disclaimer

Written permission is needed to copy or disseminate all or part of the materials on the AUB website.
read more

Title IX, Non-Discrimination, and Anti-Discriminatory Harassment

AUB is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment to all members of its community.
read more

American University of Beirut