 In ancient Greece , long male hair was a symbol of wealth and power , while a shaven head was appropriate for a slave . The ancient Greeks had several gods and heroes who wore their hair long , including Zeus , Achilles , Apollo , and Poseidon . Greek soldiers are said to have worn their hair long in battle . Such warriors considered it a sign of aristocracy and are said to have combed it openly in order to show off . Also , in order to keep enemies from getting a hold of it in battle , they were known to cut the front short , but leave it long in the back , where it was more out of reach . A widely held alternative interpretation of the conventional belief is that they kept it long , and simply tied it back in a style known as a ponytail in order to keep it out of their enemies ' reach . The ponytail method allowed warriors , who often traveled to battle with a minimal amount of equipment in order to avoid excessively heavy loads over long marches , to keep their hair manageable with a small piece of string to hold their pony tail in place and a knife to cut the back to length with one simple slice . Around the sixth century , however , the Greek men shifted to shorter hairstyles , with the exception of the Spartans . Women in the culture remained with the longer style , which for them showed freedom , health , and wealth , as well as good behavior . In men , it was considered a sign of false pride by this time . 
