Clapping To Show Appreciation Is An Ancient And Widespread Behavior
AncientPages.com - Clapping is a common international behavior when we wish to show our appreciation of something. It's something we simply do, especially when we are in large groups.
But when exactly did clapping become the norm for expressing applause? When did we start clapping to show appreciation? As a matter of fact, it turns out that clapping is an ancient and widespread behavior.
Researching ancient history we learn that the practice of clapping as a way of applauding can be traced to ancient Greece as well as ancient Rome.
Roman mosaic of choregos and actors, from the House of the Tragic Poet, Pompeii.
According to University of Chicago theater professor and Northlight Theatre dramaturg Gavin Witt, clapping was well established even in 4th Century B.C. Athens, where performers "competed for prizes and paid applauders to influence judges."
See also:
How Did Ancient Romans Grow Their Gardens?
First Pay Toilets Were Invented In Ancient Rome In 74 A.D.
The ancient Romans, on the other hand, had a set ritual of applause for public performances. People expressed degrees of approval. They could snap the finger and thumb, clap with the flat or hollow palm, wave with the flap of the toga, for which last the emperor Aurelian substituted a handkerchief (orarium), distributed to all Roman citizens. Some ancient Roman emperors really enjoyed clapping. Emperor Nero, established a school of applause and was followed on his concert tours by a claque of 5,000 knights and soldiers.
Ancient relief of clapping Egyptian women.
It should be added that we are not the only species to put together our hands. Gorillas, chimps, and orangutans sometimes clap their hands to get attention. However, clapping as a sign of joy or approval is a learned behavior and to our best knowledge limited to humans.
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
More From Ancient Pages
-
Ancient Copy Of Jesus’ Secret Teachings To His Brother James Discovered – First Apocalypse And Future Events Described
-
3,000-Year-Old Tutankhamun’s Head Sculpture Is Expected To Be Sold On Thursday In London
-
Controversial Statue Of Anglo-Norman Knight William Marshal In Pembroke Faces Criticism
-
Rock Stars: How A Group Of Scientists In South Africa Rescued A Rare 500 Kg Chunk Of Human History
-
2,000-Year-Old Lost Illyrian City Unearthed In Albania By Polish Archaeologists
-
Are The Baffling La Marche Cave Paintings Authentic Or Cunning Forgeries?
-
Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mother Might Have Been A Slave – Here’s What The Discovery Reveals About Renaissance Europe
-
Was Hygiene Important For Our Ancestors?
-
Genghis Khan Has 16 Million Relatives – You Could Be One Of Them
-
Byzantine Sandals With A Nice Message Found In The Harbor Of Eleutherios (Theodosius) – Now On Display
-
Ancient City Of Aizanoi: Statue Heads Of Greek Gods Unearthed In Excavations
-
DNA Study Sheds New Light On The Mysterious 9,000-Year-Old Shaman Burial In Bad Dürrenberg
-
Unusual Rock With Ancient Paintings Discovered By Hiker In Norway
-
Story Of Atahualpa: The Last Emperor Of The Inca Empire
-
Climate, Conflict, Collapse: How Drought Destabilized The Last Major Precolonial Mayan City
-
Mysterious Mongolian Arc Investigated By Scientists
-
Link Between Changes In Evolution And Climate Discovered
-
Legendary Helike – Uncovering Lost City of Poseidon
-
Human Occupation In Lava Tube Cave In Saudi Arabia – First Evidence Discovered
-
On This Day In History: Ceiling Of The Sistine Chapel, Painted By Michelangelo, Is Shown Publicly For The First Time – On Nov 1, 1512
