Thread: Is This a Straight Razor or Not?

Originally Posted by Jmveness

It looks like this is made with terracotta clay.

I'm sorry please bear with me. What do you mean here? The tool that I have has either an iron or steel blade and a bronze handle. Where does the terracotta clay come into place?

I too thought it was the tool of a more "well off" person owing to the fact that it doesn't have a since gone wooden handle. As far as not having a well documented academic type history, I don't know enough about these things and how artifacts like these come to the light of day.

Originally Posted by Jmveness

Hi Glen,

I can't pretend to know a whole lot on the subject of Roman razors but... I'm a well trained professional archaeologist and I can say that one of the issues we have in establishing whether something like this artifact was used purposefully for anything (let alone shaving) is difficult. Most artifacts you find are multipurpose unless they are ritualized. Just because something is sharp doesnt mean it only had a specific use. The blade looks ceremonial. I see, but can't quite tell, the figure on the handle of the blade. This blade very well may be ritualistic, but could also have been used to blood let as has been suggested, or to shave the head of a priest on feast days; crack pecans from their shells; pried oysters onto plates; used to castrate eunuchs or to cut blocks of tuscan cheese for all we know or all of the above. The key, IMHO is to figure out who is stylized on the handle of that blade before assuming it belonged on one's cheek. You haven't put that on your cheek have you? Like I mentioned its earlier purpose may have been more... voice altering so to speak

I think you will need a very good Roman antiquities expert or archaeologist with a specialization in Roman period artifacts to be certain. Would love to know what you have found out.

Actually, the primary Roman method of castration wasn't nearly as nice as the use of a simple cutting tool. Otherwise, excellent advice!

(I am not now, nor have I ever been an archaeologist. I'm just a guy who reads far too much.)

Sorry Glen, the picture you posted of the 'verified roman razor' looks like it is terracotta or stone now that I look at it closer. The tool you bought is definitly iron or bronze possibly steel. The other picture you posted looks like baked clay or stone. the way it is chipped is really reminicent of stone when it fractures. There is a percusive bulb at the tip radiating down into the blade. It also looks like it could be clay but I would have to see a better photo to be sure. It also looks like it was found in pieces and glued back together in the photo. There is a crack going throught the blade and looks like the design was pressed into it before being fired in a kiln or incised into the handle with a denser material.

Still a wonderful artifact to own. Enjoy

As with any old object provenance is everything. Without it you have nothing. You have to go through the vetting process to determine what it is and what it is worth.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Without it you have nothing.

To me it was worth the purchase price, less than the cost of a nice straight razor or a collectable Gillette DE. And I get the fun of researching it, owning it, looking at it and talking about it. A provenance would be nice but it still has value without it. As far as I can tell it is a unique object. And I am building a document trail. But I appreciate your opinion and reply.

Originally Posted by GlennConti

To me it was worth the purchase price, less than the cost of a nice straight razor or a collectable Gillette DE. And I get the fun of researching it, owning it, looking at it and talking about it. A provenance would be nice but it still has value without it. As far as I can tell it is a unique object. And I am building a document trail. But I appreciate your opinion and reply.

I respect that Glen. Half the fun is trying to figure it out sometimes. The journey so to speak. At the end of the day it's a cool item that not many people can say they have. You can ponder where that tool has been, what it's function was and put it on your mantle to make you think about life's complexities. Or it can be your fancy new letter opener

It would be pretty awesome to use something like that as a razor. You would have to win manliest shave of the year.

This is labeled as a Roman razor... looks different.

HOWEVER...on here:

http://razorland55.free.fr/lune04.htm

They have several ancient razor pictures and number of which (if accurate) suggest yours might be legit!

Never seen a roman razor like that, it seems more recent to me. I found a similar one on Ebay, the seller says: "original 17th century soldier’s straight shaving razor blade. Trade-marked with two heads eagle and emblem. Razors with this markings were used as part of the soldier’s equipment during 16th -17th century. Size: Length: 4 ¼”.

Just a different form, or from earlier in roman history. Could have had multiple purposes. Unless it was found in a tonsores room in the context of a place where it was understood people went for a shave, it could serve any purpose including shaving.