Juvenal's record of henna in Jerusalem

Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on February 03, 2000 at 20:20:54:

More from "Body Marking in Southwestern Asia"
Josephus, "Wars of the Jews, IV, 9: 10" and Juvenal, "D. Junii
Juvenalis Opera Omnia II" , 92-95 describe men as well as women
hennaeing themselves in Roman era Palestine:
"Some Galileans in Jersualem decked their hair (with henna and
imitated women (in henna use) during the siege of the city" (as men
used henna for valour in warfare, it seems more likely that the
Galileans were hennaeing for battle rather than femininity. A Roman
would not have recognized this ... in fact Romans regularly criticized
any man who marked his body as being feminine.)(anyone know their
Bible history well enough to tell me what siege that would have been?)
Also from Romans Josephus and Juvenal ... (being critical and
dismissive of the habits of the Palestinian people whom they'd
conquered) "(henna) is applied to the skin. This unbecoming fashion
is very common in Palestine and makes the women look like vampires
stained with the blood of their victims. The flowers of this plant
are very beautiful, resembling clusters of grapes of different colors,
and have a fragrant scent. The Arabs use them as ornaments for the
head, and fill their houses with them, consequently the time whtn the
Henna is in bloom is the best for visiting the dwellings of the poorer
classes...."
The translators of Josephus and Juvenal conclude that Jewish women
in Jerusalem seem to have regularly hennaeing their hands, during the
historic period that includes the beginning of the Christian era.

Follow-ups:

• Masada? Catherine Cartwright Jones 03:09:11 2/04/00 (3)
  • henna on the deceased? jocelyne 10:02:27 2/05/00 (2)
    • Re: henna on the deceased? Catherine Cartwright Jones 15:07:40 2/05/00 (1)
      • Re: henna on the deceased? Eliz. 16:51:08 2/06/00 (0)