Blade warrior

I took this shot this summer "on the road".

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I woke up this morning and thought about shaving. Dull multiple baldes, a pile of plastic razor covers. Disposable razors have skyrocketed in price, as I have mentioned before. I suppose more and men are going to go unshaven - I pondered this. Then I thought about the history of shaving...

"• The earliest shaving razors discovered were flint blades made possibly as far back as 30,000 B.C. Flint could provide an extremely sharp edge for shaving; these were, of course, the first disposable shavers because flint becomes dull rather quickly.


• In Greece, it was popular for men to crop hair very short and shave the face. Alexander the Great is pretty much the man responsible for this trend because he was obsessed with shaving. He even shaved during wartime, and would not allow himself to be seen going into battle with a five o’clock shadow.

• Roman men started their day with a trip to the tonsor, or barber, who would shave a face with an iron novacila, or Roman razor. This type of shaver corroded quickly and became blunt; so most customers usually, or eventually, got cut. But don’t worry- the tonsor could fix this by applying to the face a soothing plaster made from special perfumed ointment and spider webs soaked in oil and vinegar. Despite the dangers of going to the barbershop, Roman men continued to flock in daily because they were also great centers for gossip and news."

- From the Web site "Know the World"