Editing Beard (section)

====Israelites====

[[Israelites|Israelite]] society placed a special importance on the beard. Many male religious figures mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible|Tanakh]] are recorded to have had facial hair. According to biblical scholars, the shaving of hair, particularly of the ''corners of the beard'', was a mourning custom.<ref>''[[Peake's commentary on the Bible]]''</ref> The religious cultivation of beards by Israelites may have been done as a deliberate attempt to distinguish their behaviour in comparison to their neighbours, reducing the impact of foreign customs (and religion) as a result.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia">''Jewish Encyclopedia''</ref> The [[Hittites]] and [[Elamites]] were clean-shaven, and the [[Sumer]]ians were also frequently without a beard;<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia, Beard">''Jewish Encyclopedia'', ''Beard''</ref> conversely, the [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptians]] and Libyans shaved the beard into very stylised elongated [[goatee]]s.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia, Beard" />    [[File:Black Obelisk, Jewish delegation to Shalmaneser III.jpg|thumb|center|upright=4|The Israelite king [[Jehu]] kneels before [[Shalmaneser III]] as carved on the [[Black Obelisk]]. He and the Israelite delegation are distinguished from the Assyrians by distinctive beards.]]