The Meaning of Wigs in Ancient Rome

In Rome, wigs weren't as typically worn in the period where we sort of transitioned into Rome's dominance. They definitely wouldn't have been worn by men to lose one's hair as a man in Rome was sort of a signifier of weakness. And then there's an ebb and flow of when women wear wigs as well. There are periods where the blonde wig, for example, is associated with sex workers. It's interesting to look at someone like Cleopatra who moves between the Egyptian and Roman world. She dresses her hair closely, naturally. When she's in Egypt, she wears wigs.