By this I'm not asking for an exact answer...but relatively when did technology allow for (and culture encourage) clean shaven faces?
I'm not sure the answer to this is history - I would guess that shaving might predate a written record.
Perhaps r/AskAnthropology can provide an answer.
There is no direct evidence to suggest stone tools were used for grooming purposes but it is entirely possible. Several razors as well as other personal hygiene artifacts were recovered from Bronze Age burials in northern Europe and are believed to belong to high status individuals.
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