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So, I was told long ago when I first got into "Romanity" that a legionary handshake was a forearm-to-forearm grip.
But then later, I was told "No, that's Greek. The Romans shook hands like we shake hands."
But then I saw this (attached) Greek grave stella in a museum, showing Greeks shaking hands exactly like we do.
So. . . what evidence of this is there of Romans shaking hands, one way or the other?
Inquiring minds want to know!
-M
Michael Sweet, Ph.D.
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maybe this forearm-to-forearm handshake was only for soldiers? or there where several other variants, just like people do nowadays...
MARCVS DECIVS / Matthias Wagner
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In the image you posted, it looks more like a man (right) and a woman (left) holding hands. Perhaps they are husband and wife?
Cheryl Boeckmann
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There are examples of this from Roman coins, even Emperors doing so and I must agree the picture is a couple of opposite gender.
Brian Stobbs
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You're right, that's not a man-to-man handshake.
At the museum, there was another stella of a man shaking his son's hand (with the mother/wife standing behind) and it was believed to be the grave of a son who died before his parents. The picture I took of it did not come out that well.
You're also right that grave stellae are not a great place from which to draw "evidence" about how the living shook hands for other reasons than to say goodbye forever.
I'd love to see a picture of those coins showing handshakes.
-M
Michael Sweet, Ph.D.
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... and here's one showing a full-figure handshake -- this time, it's Probus pretending to enjoy the Concordia Militum ("unity of the soldiers")! :wink:
(The gesture may be symbolic -- remember, that's an emperor and a goddess, not real people. But I reckon if emperors and goddesses did it, ordinary people probably did it, too. :!: )
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I tried a little Googling but didn't find anything.
Thanks for posting those!
-M
Michael Sweet, Ph.D.
Viking Invasion [url:31zephj0]http://www.vikinginvasion.org[/url]