Anastole

Anestole

 

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“Anastole” is the Greek name for a hairstyle originally made popular by Alexander the Great during his reign in the 4th Century BC.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

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.