"Gallic fanatics and their hairdressers" Topic

I'm new to the Roman Age but Infamy Infamy looked fun so in I go!

I have been painting some Victrix Naked Gallic Fanatics. Almost done except I can't figure out what color their stiffened hair is supposed to be.

I thought that was done with lime and therefore white but I think that was the Britains. What color should they be? I have seen white and yellowish in use.

Thanks in advance for the help. By the way I have been using the citadel contrast paints as a test on these. Mixed feelings. Some colors work great others not so much.

From memory they used lime to get that spiky effect. I painted mine in standard Celtic colors, red, blond, etc, then dry brushed white to represent the lime.

I remember reading, years ago in the school library, it was stiffened into spikes using lime and urine like a rather unpleasant ancient hair gel if that's true white seems appropriate.

List of occupations not to have in the Ancient world – Celtic hair stylist!

Diodorus V.28.1-2 says:

"The Gauls are tall of body, with rippling muscles, and white of skin, and their hair is blond, and not only naturally so, but they also make it their practice by artificial means to increase the distinguishing colour which nature has given it. For they are always washing their hair in lime-water, and they pull it back from the forehead to the top of the head and back to the nape of the neck, with the result that their appearance is like that of Satyrs and Pans, since the treatment of their hair makes it so heavy and coarse that it differs in no respect from the mane of horses."

At link is one of the classic modern reconstructions, by Peter Connolly.

The famous images called "Dying Gaul" in many books are actually statues of Galatians from Pergamum in Asia Minor. The spiky effects of the lime are clearly sculpted.

This one still has some red on the hair