Gaius Julius Caesar constantly wore a laurel wreath for several reasons. Such a headdress in those days was considered a sign of a real hero, it was he who adorned the heads of the winners of the Olympiads. But was the laurel wreath for Caesar only a symbol of power and authority?
There are different versions
According to one theory, Caesar wore a wreath instead of a crown, because he never became king. He started a civil war, conquered Rome, and thus did a lot for the development of the state. For this, Caesar was appointed consul for life of the empire, he was called the emperor, the father of the fatherland, they praised him and pleased him, but for the commander himself the main symbol of power was a laurel wreath.
There is another version, according to which Caesar began to go bald early, and since he was a stately man and enjoyed success with women, he tried in every possible way to hide this shortcoming. The laurel wreath was perfect for this, because according to his position, Caesar could wear a wreath all the time.
Ironically, the surname "Caesar" comes from the Latin word "caesaries", which means "excellent head of hair."
What Suetonius Will Tell
The ancient Roman stories of Suetonius, who described the life of Julius Caesar, noted that the ruler combed his fairly thinning hair from the crown of his head to his forehead, wanting to hide the emerging bald spot. Suetonius also wrote that when the Senate gave Caesar the right to constantly wear the laurel wreath of the winner, he accepted it with pleasure and used this right constantly.
The ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra, who sympathized with Caesar, gave him a recipe for a remedy for bald head. It consisted of crushed burnt mice, horse teeth, deer bone marrow, bear lard and other components. This ointment should be rubbed into the head, it was expected to "sprout". Apparently, as Suetonius writes, Caesar take the advice of his crowned mistress (the novel of Caesar and Cleopatra is considered an almost indisputable historical fact). But the drug did not help, so Caesar had to rely, as before, on the laurel wreath.
The problem of hair loss from a historical perspective
According to historical records, Caesar was not the only noble lord who was tormented by the emerging bald head. His colleague in misfortune, Hannibal, a general from Carthage, ordered several different wigs to be made for himself, thus wanting to hide an unworthy flaw from his point of view.
Later, the Roman Church condemned the wearing of wigs as a mortal sin. True, after several centuries this decision was changed.
All of Hannibal's wigs differed in hairstyle and color, so he could change into appropriate costumes and change his look very much. According to historical evidence, it was sometimes difficult for close friends to recognize him in his new form.
