The ancient Greek civilization
was awash in curly hair:
Cyrus, Persian soldier, and Cleopatra.
Regardless of her depiction in movies — where she has straight hair — the most famous of all curly hair historical figures is Cleopatra, who actually had tight curly hair. She is the eternal symbol of beauty who shook the core of the dynamic Roman Empire and caused its near-demise. The Persian army arrived on the shores of Greece, and it began to bathe in the Mediterranean Sea with their long curly hair and beards. When the Greek emissary asked the Persian general the purpose of this mass bathing and washing of their hair, the general told the man our instrument of war is our fighting skills, not an offensive body odor from a long trip. ‘We desire that the enemy soldier would take delight in his last breath looking at our shiny curls and our shiny blades,’ they said. Not to dwell on the fact that curls were prevalent in many early civilizations, but also note that the harp itself came from the curly Persians who enjoyed playing chess and backgammon in their lavish courts. There might be a logical reason as to why curly hair people have had such an amazing affect on human civilization. But I like the romantic thoughts and fantasies of curly-haired people having an innate strength to create beauty in our world.
Editor’s note: This is the second of a four-part essay written by Sal Rastegar — a male voice extolling the wonder of curls. Sal will explore the Biblical Israelite Samson in his next article.
