AUGUSTAN, CIRCA LATE 1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.

This coiffure, the so-called nodus hairstyle, was popularized by women associated with the court of Augustus, including his wife Livia and sister Octavia. It is unique amongst hairstyles of the period as it was an original Roman creation, and was not inspired by earlier Greek or Etruscan styles, which had been the norm for most coiffures in the late 1st century B.C. The style came to be imitated by contemporary women of all classes in Roman society. For a similar example see no. 18, p. 39 in Kleiner, Roman Sculpture.