These fake beards were worn by the Egyptians, and they were secured to the head by a cord.
The Mesopotamian Civilizations, i.e. Babylon, spent a lot of time oiling and dressing their beards, even using curling irons to create ringlets in a tiered effect. Some civilizations would die their beards while others would put gold thread through them.
The patriarchs of the tribes of Israel grew beards embellished by a hanging earlock, or peyot. The peyot is still worn today by some orthodox Jews.
Grecian beards were frequently curled with tongs to create hanging curls, and were allowed to grow to long lengths, as length denoted wisdom, among other things.
The Romans often shaved, and would have either a clean-shaven face or a close-trimmed beard. The philosophers, though, kept their beards long.
The Byzantines liked beards and mustaches, while keeping their hair pretty short. Their beards were curled, split on the center of the chin, square cut, or pointed, and some were extremely long.
Henry VIII brought the beard back into favor in England in 1525. After that, beards of all shapes and lengths were worn.
Sir Anthony Vandyke, a Flemish painter, painted so many aristocrats with a pointed type of beard that it became known as the Vandyke beard. This kind of beard was often dressed with wax so as to keep its shape for long periods of time.
Louis XIII shaved his courtiers, leaving only a tiny lip beard. This custom was adopted by the French and Dutch cavaliers.
This type of beard, known as the "imperial" consisted of a pointed tuft of whiskers on the chin, and was named in honor of Napoleon III.
In the 19th century, long-sided whiskers merging into a mustache became known as the "Franz Josef", in honor of the emperor of Austria.
In England, this type of beard was known as "mutton chops" or "Piccadily weepers".