Covered Heads. Throughout much of the Republic, Roman women customarily covered their heads in public. In addition to using the palla to cover her head, a Roman matron had a variety of other small garments specifically for this purpose. Small mantles and kerchiefs were also typical head coverings, and wives of certain priests had special garments for this purpose. By the time of Augustus, however, we see in statuary women with their heads either covered or uncovered, and thus the practice of covering the head seems to have become a matter of personal choice.

Hair-Grooming. Details of the Romans' personal grooming habits were often similar to those of the modern world. Men and women patronized barbers (tonsor) and hairdressers (ornatrix), and wealthy Romans even owned slaves trained in these occupations. Large imperial bath complexes sometimes offered these...