Monday Answer
Gary Smyth
There is a winner. Shiela?
Strigil.
A strigil was a relatively small, curved, metal tool used in ancient Greece and Rome to scrape dirt, sweat, water, oils, perfumes etc. off the body, (in the age before effective soaps). First perfumed oil was applied to all portions of the skin, and then it would be pulled/scraped off, along with the dirt. For wealthier people, this process was often done by slaves. Strigils were used earliest in Egypt but over time spread in use. They were often used in Roman baths.
In ancient times athletes and working men often worked naked. They coated themselves with oil and then rolled around in the dust to keep the sweat (sometimes blood) inside the body. To have it escape meant that you were losing your internal life force, strength, and/or the ability to endure for the length of the event. Today just the opposite is true. Sweat promotes cooling and fluids are constantly replaced. Some speculate that the original marathon runner may have collapsed because replacing fluids was not a good thing for soldiers to do. As a modern side note. 1950�s Southern and especially, Texas football coaches also believed that giving fluids would promote cramping so they did not allow for water on the practice field. At that time only U of Florida changed that thought, and only in the 1960�s, with doctor invented �Gatorade� to help eliminate players suffering from all sorts of heat related maladies.
Anyway, after a day of work or athletics the accumulated crust was scraped off the skin and the person took one of several baths. Whether intentional or not by the practitioners of this process, oiling the skin would catch dead skin cells while the scraping would remove them from the body. After the baths, the strigil was used to scrape of the water and any excess new oils that were applied. Note: One like the original shone in today�s first picture is currently on ebay for $900.00 (Etruscan)
Plastic ones are sold today as a replacement for a first toweling out of a shower. I�m informed plastic curved putty knives, Bondo auto body filler scrapers, orange peelers, and ring style curry combs are also used. Strigilation (less painful than a skin peel or dermabrasion) today is a form of exfoliation performed at spas in order to help the skin increase circulation, unclog pores and eliminate acne.
Last note: In Western PA, if you want this done to you, starting at a mere $99 ($79 if you are a member) (depending on the oil and perfume) you can get oiled and strigiled. Body shaving is extra. Humm, let�s see, I can get Strigiled or a new WoodWorker II blade. I'm going with the blade, thank you.
These were the "addtional pictures". They previewed properly and are within the size limits. Sorry.
