Cleansing in Rome. 2nd century BC-2nd century AD. Practices and issues.
Beautiful Letters| N° d'inventaire | 22039 |
| Format | 15.5 x 24 |
| Détails | 412 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2017 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782251328911 |
This book examines how Romans in the late Republic and early Empire viewed bodily cleansing. By addressing several practical questions (what is one cleansing oneself of? for what purpose? where is it done, with what means, and how?) and drawing on anthropological, archaeological, and lexicological analyses, it delineates the domains in which the Romans classified the categories of dirt, bodily care, and proper self-presentation. The vocabulary of dirt, in particular, allows us to circumscribe a diverse set of undesirable realities: there is not "one" but "many kinds of dirt—everything is context-dependent—and the lexicon reflects this diversity. The justification for cleanliness, on the other hand, is based on moral prescriptions remarkable for their permanence and consistency throughout the period. Cleanliness must be understood as the concrete translation of the broader notion of care; and conversely, dirt translates that of negligence. Therefore, being a good citizen, and beyond that, a true human being, requires cleanliness – with such insistence that it makes this state a marker of social recognition. The cleaner and “shinier” one is, the higher one is in the civic hierarchies. These moral prescriptions lead to the emergence of this very Roman reality that is the balneum: the privileged place for maintaining this civic model, at the crossroads between moral, cosmetic and medical worlds. They are supported by a set of specific techniques giving a privileged place to rubbing the body, using oil or detergents. A graduate and doctor in ancient history, Michel Blonski has taught at the universities of Paris IV, Lyon III – Jean-Moulin and UVSQ. His approach combines the study of representations, cultural history and historical anthropology. The research themes he developed in his doctoral thesis and in several articles concern personal hygiene and the social uses of the body in ancient Rome.
This book examines how Romans in the late Republic and early Empire viewed bodily cleansing. By addressing several practical questions (what is one cleansing oneself of? for what purpose? where is it done, with what means, and how?) and drawing on anthropological, archaeological, and lexicological analyses, it delineates the domains in which the Romans classified the categories of dirt, bodily care, and proper self-presentation. The vocabulary of dirt, in particular, allows us to circumscribe a diverse set of undesirable realities: there is not "one" but "many kinds of dirt—everything is context-dependent—and the lexicon reflects this diversity. The justification for cleanliness, on the other hand, is based on moral prescriptions remarkable for their permanence and consistency throughout the period. Cleanliness must be understood as the concrete translation of the broader notion of care; and conversely, dirt translates that of negligence. Therefore, being a good citizen, and beyond that, a true human being, requires cleanliness – with such insistence that it makes this state a marker of social recognition. The cleaner and “shinier” one is, the higher one is in the civic hierarchies. These moral prescriptions lead to the emergence of this very Roman reality that is the balneum: the privileged place for maintaining this civic model, at the crossroads between moral, cosmetic and medical worlds. They are supported by a set of specific techniques giving a privileged place to rubbing the body, using oil or detergents. A graduate and doctor in ancient history, Michel Blonski has taught at the universities of Paris IV, Lyon III – Jean-Moulin and UVSQ. His approach combines the study of representations, cultural history and historical anthropology. The research themes he developed in his doctoral thesis and in several articles concern personal hygiene and the social uses of the body in ancient Rome.