Barber (barbering) one of the oldest professions

Barber (“Barbering”) is one of the oldest professions in the world.

Egypt: Where it all began

Barbering (‘barber’) is known to be one of the oldest professions in the world. Records spanning as far back as 30,000 BC. Egypt is the first civilization to have developed barbering techniques & tools that we recognize today.

From using combs & cutting tools to sourcing copper and bronze as a means of inventing razors. Having haircuts and beard trims soon became not only a mode of fashion but a means of representing status. The word ‘barber’ is derived from the word ‘barba’, which is the Latin word for ‘beard. In ancient Egyptian civilization, having a beard signified wisdom, strength, and not surprisingly, manhood! Egyptians used to work outside due to the hot climate. And, barbers would often meet them and have them kneel while the barber would casually go about their work in full view of passersby.

Greece and Rome

Shaving didn’t become commonplace in these civilizations until around 400BC. By which time hairstyling and barbering had developed into highly evolved hair-crafts. Alexander the Great even ordered his Macedonian troops to cut off their beards as a means to overcome the Persians’ tactic of grasping the Greek soldiers’ by the beard.

In Rome, barbering services came to fruition for the general public by about 300BC. Although slaves were still forced to wear their beards and hair long as a sign of low status, most other men visited barber shops. At that time, Roman barbers were known as a tonsor, from the Latin word ‘Tondeo’, meaning ‘to shave’.

Many of the barbers at that time, enjoyed wealth and status because of the success and popularity of these barbershops.

Unusual Barbershop Services

Bloodletting: Cutting a vein on a patient’s arm in order to let out ‘bad blood’.

Ancient Greeks believed that many ailments were thought to be caused by bad blood. Which was said to be affected by evil spirits! Leeches were often used to suck out this bad blood when there was a fear that an imbalanced blood was the cause of many illnesses.

Singeing: Using either lighted wax taper or electrical singeing equipment. Barbers would literally burn-off the ends of the hair.

This is because at the time, it was believed that burning would ‘stop the hair bleeding’ and the goodness of the hair growth would be retained.

At Revolution Barbershop, we offer both traditional and modern barbering services, tailored towards men of all ages.

We are open from 9 am – 9  pm every day except on Sundays and Thursdays.