A boy visiting a barber

For other uses, see Barber (disambiguation).

A barber (from the Latin barba, "beard") is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, give shaves, and trim beards. A barber differs from a hairdresser whose business is generally restricted to cutting and styling hair. In previous times, barbers also performed surgery. In more recent times, with the development of safety razors and the increasing popularity of cleanshaven men, most barbers primarily cut hair. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1200x800, 981 KB) Summary Boy Meets Barber OFallon, Illinois, Barbershop, 2006. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1200x800, 981 KB) Summary Boy Meets Barber OFallon, Illinois, Barbershop, 2006. ... // Professions barber barber surgeon People Notable people whose last name is or was Barber include Alden G. Barber Boy Scouts of America Scouting notable, awardee of the Bronze Wolf in 1975 Andrea Barber (born 1976), U.S. actress Anthony Barber, Baron Barber (1920-2005), British cabinet minister Benjamin Barber (born... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... A man with a full beard A beard is the hair that grows on a mans chin, cheeks, neck, and the area above the upper lip (the opposite is a clean-shaven face). ... Young Girl Fixing her Hair, by Sophie Gengembre Anderson Hair is a filamentous outgrowth of dead cells from the skin, found only in mammals. ... A razor shaving some stubble off the underside of a chin. ... A man with a full beard A beard is the hair that grows on a mans chin, cheeks, neck, and the area above the upper lip (the opposite is a clean-shaven face). ... A hairdresser is someone whose occupation is to cut or style hair, in order to change or maintain a persons image as they desire. ... A cardiothoracic surgeon performs a mitral valve replacement at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. ... Collection of Modern Safety Razors - Gillette Fusion Power, Gillette M3Power, Mach3 Turbo, Schick Quattro Chrome, Schick Quattro Power, Gillette Mach3, Gillette Sensor, Schick Xtreme3, Schick Xtreme SubZero, and Schick Xtreme3 Disposables A razor is an edge tool primarily used in shaving. ...

Therefore, although many may still deal with facial hair when requested, the predominant difference in American and Commonwealth culture is that barbers specialize in the simple cutting of men's hair. They do not generally offer significant styling or 'fancy' haircuts when compared to hairdressers working in hair salons. In recent years, larger numbers of women have been going to a barber for their haircuts, especially when they choose to have their hair cut very short or shaved primarily due to the generally lower cost of barbershops. ^{[citations needed]}

The place where a barber works is generally called a barbershop (or "barber shop").

A barber's pole, the symbol of the barber's shop

Image File history File links Barbers_shop_symbol. ... Image File history File links Barbers_shop_symbol. ... Barber pole, ca. ...

History

The barber's trade is an extremely ancient one. Razors have been found among relics of the Bronze Age (circa 3500 BC) in Egypt, and barbering is mentioned in the Bible by Ezekiel who said "And Thou, son of man, take thee a barber's razor and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thine beard." The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... Dionysius Exiguus invented Anno Domini years to date Easter. ... The Bible (From Greek βιβλια—biblia, meaning books, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported papyrus) is the sacred scripture of Christianity. ... Ezekiel the Prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures is depicted on a 1510 Sistine Chapel fresco by Michelangelo. ...

Shaving, either of the head or face, was not always a voluntary act, for it has been enforced by law in England and elsewhere. Cleanliness and vanity were therefore not the sole reasons for a "clean shave"; the origins lie deeper. Before the Macedonian conquest brought the custom of clean shaving, the κουρευς in the Greek agora would trim and style his patrons' beards, hair, and fingernails, as gossip and debate flowed freely. // Balancing scales are symbolic of how law mediates peoples interests For other senses of this word, see Law (disambiguation). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... The Narcissus myth, as portrayed by Waterhouse, is a reflection on the nature of intimacy and vanity. ... A clean-shaven beard is one that has been totally removed, usually by shaving or other more radical means of depilation. ... An agora (αγορά), translatable as marketplace, was an essential part of an ancient Greek polis or city-state. ... This article discusses the anatomical nail. ... Gossip consists of casual or idle talk of any sort, sometimes (but not always) slanderous and/or devoted to discussing others. ... Debate or debating is a formal method of interactive and position representational argument. ...

Barbering was introduced to Rome from the Greek colonies in Sicily in 296 B.C. and barber shops quickly became very popular centres for daily news and gossip. All free men of Rome then had to be clean-shaven while slaves were forced to wear beards. A morning visit to the tonsor became a part of the daily routine as important as the visit to the public baths, and a young man's first shave (tonsura) was an essential part of his coming of age ceremony. A few Roman tonsores became wealthy and influential, running shops that were favorite loci publici of high society; most were simple tradesmen, owning small storefronts or setting up their stool in the street and offering shaves for a mere quadrans. Some had reputations as clumsy butchers who left their patrons scarred about the cheeks and chin; their dull bronze or copper (never steel) razors must share some of the blame. The better barbers offered depilatories for those customers who refused the razor. The Roman Empire is the name given to both the imperial domain developed by the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... Magna Graecia (Latin for Greater Greece, Megalê Hellas/Μεγάλη Ελλάς in Greek) is the name of an area in ancient southern Italy and Sicily that was colonised by ancient Greek settlers in the 8th century BCE. Originally, Magna Graecia was the... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian, Sicilian and Spanish, Σικελία in Greek) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 km² and 5 million inhabitants. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Roman public baths in Bath, England. ... Coming of age is a young persons transition from adolescence to adulthood. ... The quadrans (literally meaning a a quarter) was low value Roman bronze coin worth 1/4th of an as. ... Otto Skorzeny with a facial scar caused by fencing Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after destruction of some of the dermis. ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic pinkish red Atomic mass 63. ... The old Steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon content between 0. ... Collection of Modern Safety Razors - Gillette Fusion Power, Gillette M3Power, Mach3 Turbo, Schick Quattro Chrome, Schick Quattro Power, Gillette Mach3, Gillette Sensor, Schick Xtreme3, Schick Xtreme SubZero, and Schick Xtreme3 Disposables A razor is an edge tool primarily used in shaving. ... Depilation is a generic term for hair removal which affects the part of the hair above the surface of the skin. ...

Interior of a barber's shop, circa 1920

When Julius Caesar landed in Britain in 54 B.C. he found that the Britons wore no facial hair at all, except on the upper lip. Similarly, at the time of the Norman Conquest, Harold and his men also had their chins 'reaped' as the Saxons termed it; an expression no longer in use except by the harvester. Full beards came back into fashion during the reign of the Hellenophile Hadrian. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1500x1052, 286 KB) Barber Shop in Richardson, Texas, circa 1920. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1500x1052, 286 KB) Barber Shop in Richardson, Texas, circa 1920. ... Gāius Jūlius Caesar (IPA: ;[1]), July 12 or July 13, 100 BC – March 15, 44 BC) was a Roman military and political leader and one of the most influential men in world history. ... Events October 13 - Roman Empire emperor Claudius dies after being poisoned by Agrippina, his wife and niece. ... The term Briton may have the following meanings: in a historical context: an inhabitant of Great Britain in pre-Roman times a descendant of Britons during a later period (e. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... Harold Godwinson, or Harold II of England (c. ... Map showing the Saxons homeland in traditional region bounded by the three rivers: Weser, Eider, and Elbe Src: Freemans Historical Geographys. The Saxons or Saxon people are (nowadays) part of the German people with its main areas of settlements in the German States of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Saxony... Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus (January 24, 76–July 10, 138), known as Hadrian in English, was Roman emperor from 117–138, and a member of the gens Aelia. ...

The barbers of former times were also surgeons and dentists. Most early physicians disdained surgery, and therefore, as well as haircutting, hairdressing and shaving, barbers performed surgery of wounds, blood-letting, cupping and leeching, enemas, and the extraction of teeth. Thus they were called barber surgeons and they formed their first organisation in 1094. X-rays can reveal if a person has cavities Dentistry is the practical application of knowledge of dental science (the science of placement, arrangement, function of teeth) to human beings. ... Barbers were often recruited for the job of surgery in earlier military history. ... // Events May - El Cid completes his Christian reconquest of Valencia, Spain from the Muslims. ...

Barbers were chartered as a guild by Edward IV in 1462 as "The Company of Barbers". The surgeons formed a guild 30 years later and the two companies were subsequently united by a statute of Henry VIII in 1540 under the name of "The United Barber Surgeons Company". During the reign of Henry VIII the authorities of Lincolns Inn prohibited wearers of beards from sitting unless they paid certain penalties. Elizabeth I went one better: in her reign a law was passed that the wearer of a beard of more than two weeks' growth should be taxed according to his station in life - a man in a lowly position was taxed to the extent of 3s. 4d. per annum for growing whiskers! So taken was Peter the Great with this enactment that he introduced the law into Russia. A guild is an association of craftspeople in a particular trade. ... Edward IV (April 28, 1442 – April 9, 1483) was King of England from March 4, 1461 to April 9, 1483, with a break of a few months in the period 1470–1471. ... Events Settlers from Portugal begin to settle the Cape Verde islands. ... For the play, see Henry VIII (play). ... Events January 6 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne of Cleves, his fourth Queen consort. ... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603 ) was Queen of England and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... A tax is an involuntary fee paid by individuals or businesses to a state, or to functional equivalents of a state, including tribes, secessionist movements or revolutionary movements. ... Peter was a tall figure, with an extremely striking build of 2. ...

An 18th century Ottoman barber's apron

In Ireland it was enacted that, in order to be recognised as an Englishman, a man must have all the hair above his mouth shaven. This law remained in force for two hundred years. Image File history File links 18th_century_Ottoman_barber_apron. ... Image File history File links 18th_century_Ottoman_barber_apron. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem At the height of its power (1683) Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... A full length apron An apron is an outer protective garment that covers primarily the front of the body. ...

In 1745 surgeons were separated from barbers by acts passed during the reign of George II. The surgeons with the title of 'Masters, Governors and Commonalty of the Surgeons of London'. This body was later dissolved and replaced by the Royal College of Surgeons in 1800 during the reign of George III. // Events May 11 - War of Austrian Succession: Battle of Fontenoy - At Fontenoy, French forces defeat an Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian army including the Black Watch June 4 – Frederick the Great destroys Austrian army at Hohenfriedberg August 19 - Beginning of the 45 Jacobite Rising at Glenfinnan September 12 - Francis I is elected... George II (George Augustus) (10 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Archtreasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death. ... 1800 (MDCCC) was an exceptional common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, but a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. ... George III (George William Frederick) (4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ...

As previously noted, the origin of shaving the head or face was not always a voluntary act. Both law and superstition played their part in various countries. At one time, in England, cutting of the hair or nails on Sundays was considered to be extremely ill-advised. It has been suggested that Magical thinking be merged into this article or section. ...

In Hong Kong up until the 1990s it was said that the best barbers came from Shanghai, in reference to the perceived trendiness of pre-war Shanghainese fashion, which was brought to Hong Kong by those fleeing Shanghai as the Communists won the Chinese civil war. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Shanghai (Chinese: ; pinyin:  ; Shanghainese: ), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta in East China, is the largest city of the Peoples Republic of China and the eighth largest in the world. ... Look up trend, trendy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about communism as a form of society, as an ideology advocating that form of society, and as a popular movement. ... Combatants Chinese Nationalists Chinese Communists Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Mao Zedong Strength 4,300,000 (July 1946) 3,650,000 (June 1948) 1,490,000 (June 1949) 1,200,000 (July 1946) 2,800,000 (June 1948) 4,000,000 (June 1949) The Chinese Civil War (Traditional Chinese: , Simplified Chinese...

See also

• Facial hair
• Haircut
• Something for the weekend
• The Barber of Seville

This article has been illustrated as part of WikiProject Illustrated Wikipedia. ... Species Sus barbatus Sus bucculentus Sus cebifrons Sus celebensis Sus domesticus Sus heureni Sus philippensis Sus salvanius Sus scrofa Sus timoriensis Sus verrucosus Pigs are ungulates native to Eurasia collectively grouped under the genus Sus within the Suidae family. ... Something for the weekend? is a euphemism traditionally used by barbers in the United Kingdom when offering condoms to their clients. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

• William Stearns Davis on the barber shops of Athens
• Barba: entry in William Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities
• History of the barber's trade