Strigil

Strigils and sponges (1879), by Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

A strigil was a small, curved, metal tool used in ancient Greece and Rome to scrape dirt and sweat from the body before effective soaps became available. First perfumed oil was applied to the skin, and then it would be scraped off, along with the dirt. For wealthier people, this process was often done by slaves. Strigils were often used in Roman baths and were made in different sizes for different body parts.

• 

  Roman strigils 1 century B.C.

• 

  Apoxyomenos: an athlete cleaning himself

A strigil sarcophagus is a sarcophagus carved with S-shaped parallel grooves reminiscent of the marks left by strigils.

Strigil Sarcophagus in Saint-Victor de Marseille Abbey

See also

• Gymnasium (ancient Greece)
• Roman bath
• Oil cleansing method