剃须历史知多少
The History of Shaving
王淑怡 供稿
Although the exact timeline of shaving isn’t clear, most experts and found artifacts suggest that shaving has been around since approximately 100,000 BC, when cavemen would eliminate hair from their body by pulling them out one at a time, even using rocks or shells to speed the process. Fast-forward another 70,000 years and early man has recognized the value of sharpened flint, not only good for striking fire, but also for delicately slicing off hair from the body!
尽管人类开始刮胡子的确切时间尚不清楚，但大多数专家和已发现的手工艺品均表明，剃须的起源大约始于公元前100000年，那时的穴居人会一根根地将胡须全部拔掉，甚至使用像岩石或贝壳之类的东西来清理胡须。过了70000年，人们发现磨光的燧石不仅可以用来打火，还能够精准地剃除毛发！
The real history of shaving, however, doesn’t begin until we reach the Egyptian civilization, where the act of shaving made its real debut on the world stage. Egyptians had a powerful belief that body hair was a sign of uncleanliness, so both men and women engaged in the complete removal of hair from the body—head to toe! In some cases, caustic ingredients like quicklime and arsenic were used in these primitive depilatory creams and shaving lotions. Early razors also appeared around the time, with the rise in metalworking and mining in many areas of the world. The Egyptian relationship to cleanliness and body hair bordered on the obsessive, and the upper classes often bathed multiple times per day. They would shave their heads completely bald, and then wear out cooling wigs in public.
刮胡子真正流行的时期是在古埃及文明时，此时也是剃须首次登上历史舞台。古埃及人深信体毛是不洁的标志，因此男人和女人都致力于从头到脚彻底清除体毛，他们还在原始脱毛膏和剃须液中加入了诸如生石灰和砷之类的腐蚀性原料。再后来，随着世界上许多地区的金属加工和采矿业的兴起，早期的剃刀也随之出现。古埃及人对于身体的洁净和脱毛达到了近乎痴迷的程度，上层阶级经常一天洗好几次澡。他们会把头发剃光，然后在公共场合佩戴凉快的假发。
According to anthropologists, the fear of uncleanliness may have been the early reason for prehistoric man to shave. Body hair provides an ideal environment for lice and other unwanted critters, and can also be a breeding ground for fungal infections, particularly in hot or humid weather. Furthermore, having an excess of body hair led to the much faster development of body odor, another sign of uncleanliness within the rigid Egyptian society.
人类学家认为，古人类刮胡子的重要原因是觉得胡子太脏了。在炎热或潮湿的天气下，胡须为虱子和其他有害生物提供了理想的环境，也成为了真菌感染的温床。除此之外，毛发还会散播更多的身体异味，这在严格的古埃及社会中也是不洁的标志。
As a result of these elevated opinions, shaving became somewhat associated with class and status. Having an unshaven face in Egypt meant that you could not afford to visit a barber every day, or perhaps that you didn’t care about your appearance or standing in society. To this day, there are still areas where having an unshaven face is associated with laziness or a lack of professionalism.
作为上层阶级的选择，剃须在某种程度上与阶级和地位相关联。如果一个男人不剃胡子，说明他负担不起理发师的费用，或者根本不在乎自己的容貌或社会地位。时至今日，世界上仍有很多区域的人们认为，不剃须的男人与懒惰或缺乏专业素养有关。
This habit of shaving off one’s hair wasn’t immediately embraced by the rest of the world, but the Greeks and Romans were eventually won over in the 4th century BC. Not only was Alexander the Great a massive proponent of shaving—every single day—but also noted that less hair meant enemy combatants would have less to grab onto, making Roman warriors even hardier and more formidable.
古埃及的这种全身刮毛的习惯并没有立即被世界其他地方接受，不过，到公元前4世纪，古希腊和古罗马人也开始剃须。亚历山大大帝不仅大力提倡每天剃须，还指出，胡须越短，敌人在战斗中就越难以抓住胡子，这会让古罗马的战士们越斗志昂扬、坚不可摧。
For the next thousand years, shaving spreads throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Some cultures keep a clean but impressive beard, while shaving off all the other hair on their bodies, while other cultures object to removing body hair in other areas. In various countries at various times, there are waves of popularity behind shaving, sometimes in line with a cultural movement, or a particular fashion trend.
在之后的一千年里，剃须的习俗遍及欧洲、中东和亚洲。有的文化要求人们保留干净美观的胡须，同时剃掉其他毛发，但也有文化反对人们剔除身体其他部位的毛发。在不同国家、不同时期，剃须背后都有不同的流行，或者符合某种文化运动，或者追求某种特定的时尚潮流。
【VOCABULARY】
1. artifact n. (尤指有历史或文化价值的) 手工艺品
2. caveman n. （史前石器时代的）穴居人；野人
3. flint n. 燧石；打火石；极硬的东西
4. made debut 首秀，首次亮相
5. caustic adj. 腐蚀性的；
6. quicklime n. 生石灰
7. arsenic n. 砷
8. metalworking n. 金属制造
9. anthropologist n. 人类学家
10. prehistoric adj. 史前的，有文字记载以前的
11. lice n. 虱子（louse 的复数）
12. critter n. 生物；小动物
13. fungal adj. 真菌的
14. odor n. 气味；名声
15. combatant n. 战士；争斗者
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