How Barber Poles Came About

What Is the History of the Barber Shop?

The barber shop is an ancient trade. Razors were found among relics as far back as the Bronze Age. Barbering is also mentioned in the Bible by Ezekiel who stated, “And Thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass on thine head and beard.” which just goes to show the age of this profession.

Barbering was first introduced in Rome in 296 B.C. and they quickly became popular and prosperous. Their shops were the hub of daily news and gossip. All free men of Rome were clean-shaven, however, the slaves were made to sport beards. It is from the Roman word Barba, which means beard, that the word “barber” comes from.

About 334 B.C. Alexander the Great actually made his soldiers shave in order to gain the advantage with the likes of hand-to-hand combat, so his warriors could grab their enemies by the beard, while they remained guarded against this method of fighting. The barbers of early days were surgeons and dentists also. Most of the early physicians actually disdained surgery, which means it was left to barbers to perform surgery of wounds, blood-letting, leeching and cupping, enemas and pulling teeth. Because barbers were involved with not just haircutting, hairdressing and shaving but surgery also, they were often referred to as barber-surgeons. And went on to form their first organization in France in 1094.

History of the Barber’s Pole
To distinguish between academic and barber-surgeons, the College de Saint Come, which was founded in Paris in 1210, called the former as surgeons of the long robe and the latter as the short robe. French barbers and surgeons in 1391 were organized as a guild, and barber-surgeons were actually admitted into the University of Paris in 1505. Ambroise Pare, who was considered the father of modern surgery, started his career as an itinerant barber-surgeon.

We, at Mr. Krispy Professional Barbershop, hope you enjoyed our brief bit of history, however, if you are looking for a barber shop in the Oakland, CA area, then you need to call us today at (510) 221-3021.

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