Anastole - Artlex

What is “Anastole”?

“Anastole” is the Greek name for a hairstyle originally made popular by Alexander the Great during his reign in the 4th Century BC.

The style can be seen in the many sculptures and paintings of Alexander the Great, including:

3rd century BC Greek bust depicting Alexander the Great, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen — By Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Alexander the Great, from Alexandria, Egypt, 3rd cent. BCE, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen (5), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69756683

Young Alexander the Great — By Unknown artist – Jastrow (2006), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57224882

Alexander the Great Mosaic — By Unknown author – The Guardian (DEA/G Nimatallah/De Agostini/Getty Images), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35067658

Alexander the Great Marble Sculpture at the Louvre — Roman copy after a 330 BC bronze sculpture by Lysippos at the Louvre

Alexander the Great - Anastole - Met Museum, NYC — Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Alexander the Great - 1st Century AD - Christies Auction — Alexander the Great – 1st Century AD – Source: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5859248

The hairstyle involves hair flipped up away from the forehead, and Alexander also included other locks of hair similarly styled around his face in a wreath-like arrangement.

His use of this hairstyle made it one of the more popular styles in the Ancient world.

The literal Greek translation seems to be “suspension” or “pushing back”.

It was also used as a (now obsolete) medical term to describe a gaping wound or flesh curling back from a wound.