In ancient Rome - one of the largest empires in the world - there was a place for everything: love and hate, tragedy and laughter, justice and lawlessness. Rome was the focus of historical events - wars unfolded and truces were built in this ancient capital. The majestic city was famous for its gladiators who fought in the arena like tigers. Legionnaires of Ancient Rome were famous for their pride and ruthlessness. Particular attention should be paid to how people saluted in one of the greatest capitals in the world.
Early versions of Roman greetings
The ancestor of such a gesture is the Slavic veneration of the sun. The ancient Slavs worshiped the Sun or Yarila. A lot depended on the sun in their work: a good harvest, well-fed cattle. The Slavs associated the sun with warmth and goodness, it symbolized life. That is why the tiller, leaving early in the field, greeted the sun that had not yet risen. This is one of the versions where Roman greetings originate from.
Opinion of historians
According to Italian-born historian Guido Clemente, the Roman salutewas given mainly to noble people, but not to commoners. Basically, military leaders, senators and other noble people gave greetings to the crowd. The emperor also saluted his people, thereby expressing appreciation and gratitude for their support.
The problem is that it's hard to describe the classic Roman greetings of those times. There are no concrete sculptures, images or casts of Romans greeting each other. The common way of the Roman greeting was first depicted in the painting "The Oath of the Horatii", painted in 1784 by Jacques-Louis-David, a French teacher and painter.
In the 20th century, a scandal erupted over Roman greetings. Sergio Bertelli, a professor at the University of Florence, has suggested that the Roman salute was actually invented by the director of the 1914 feature film Cabiria. People decided that the gesture seen in the film inspired Benito Mussolini so much that he specifically remembered it and later began to use it as the official greeting of his own fascist party.
Roman greeting Ave
One of the most famous expressions of Ancient Rome is the word Ave. Probably many of you have heard the song Ave, Maria. With these same words, the text of the prayer of Catholics to the Virgin Mary begins. Translated from the ancient Roman language, this prayer can be correctly translated as "Hello Mary" because ave from Latin meant "hello".
This phrase comes from lat. avere (hello)and used in an imperative form. Usually the greeting of the Roman legionnaires was pronounced to Julius Caesar or other officials. The writer Gaius Suetonius Tranquill in his books mentioned that the gladiators before the battle addressed Caesar precisely with the help of the greeting ave. It sounded like this: Ave, Caesar! Morituri te salutant! (Ave, Caesar, those who are about to die greet you!)
There is also a German equivalent of the Roman greeting "Have!". It sounds like "Heil!". This greeting was often used by the Nazis when referring to higher ranks. The difference between the Roman and Nazi salute is not only in the sound of the word, but also in the gesture.
The inhabitants of Ancient Rome greeted each other by raising their right arm with the elbow up, it was slightly bent. The fingers were relaxed and the gesture itself was generally considered friendly. In Nazi Germany, the boss was greeted with a hand extended forward and slightly up, the fingers were straight and tightly clenched. The gesture was more direct and sharp than in the city of seven hills.
How did Gaius Julius Caesar greet his subordinates?
The famous Roman commander was famous for his friendliness towards his subjects. The great emperor greeted each inhabitant of his state and called him by name. This is evidenced by the ancient Greek philosopher and writer Plutarch.
But in response to the greetings of his military, who shouted "Ave, Caesar!", The emperor answered, smiling and raising his hand up: "Have me!".
How they greeted relatives in ancient Rome
The great Greek historian Polybius testified about how Roman greetings between close relatives look like. They happened with a kiss on the cheek. The roots of this tradition came from the ancient tradition of Rome, which forbade women to drink wine. As the ancient Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus reports in Roman Antiquities, the thing is that intoxication in that era was put on a par with adultery. The judge in such cases was the relatives on both sides and the woman's husband. However, another source of information, the historian Polybius, says that there was nothing of the kind. At that time, instead of wine, a sweet drink was prepared for the fair sex, based on raisins.
It was Polybius who noted that, in order for a woman not to be able to drink wine secretly, they came up with a special rule. It said that the lady had to kiss all her relatives, including children, cousins and sisters. This slightly unusual method made it impossible to hide the woman's drinking.
Polybius' version is more plausible, since the accepted rule with greeting kisses indicates that sometimes women still succumbed to temptation and allowed themselves to drink a glass or two of wine. However, it is unlikely that they were punished by death for this, as King Romulus demanded. Most likely, the punishments for the crime committed were different and more lenient.
Roman handshake
Exclamation "Have!" legionnaireswelcomed their commanders and the emperor. But they would hardly raise their hands and greet their colleagues loudly.
So, how did the Romans say hello? To do this, they came up with a special greeting, which today is called the Roman handshake.
It is carried out by shaking hands, but not the hand, as is customary in most cases in modern society, but the wrist. This was due to the fact that the ancient Romans carried weapons, knives and daggers not on the side in the scabbard, but in the sleeves of their clothes. Therefore, squeezing each other's forearms, the warriors demonstrated the absence of weapons and good intentions. Below you can see a photo of the Roman greeting
Features of the Roman handshake
The strength and duration of the handshake also mattered a lot. The sharper and stronger the comrade's wrist was squeezed, the more self-confident and successful he appeared before society. Conversely, a weak and timid handshake characterized a person as weak-willed and powerless.
There is a handshake theory, which suggests that squeezing the palm or wrist of the interlocutor sends special signals using receptors to certain areas of the cerebral cortex. They affect the mind in such a way that the person standing in front of us is seen in a more friendly light. Perhaps the ancient Romans knew about this and used this technique.
How were Roman greetings used in other countries?
BUnited States in the period from the 19th to the 20th century, greetings similar to the Roman were noticed. So, on Columbus Day, the Pledge of Allegiance to the US flag was pronounced. It was demonstrated by Francis Bellamy as follows: while pronouncing the words: “I swear allegiance to my flag”, he raised his right hand to his chest, then abruptly threw it up and directed it directly to the flag. Such a ritual was subsequently widely used in scouting organizations under the name "Salute Bellamy".
In 1942, this greeting was abolished due to the fact that the gesture was very similar to the Nazi salute. The US Congress decided to pronounce this oath, not raising your hand up, but putting it on your heart.
The adoption of the Roman salute by the Nazis
Italian politician Benito Mussolini adopted such a gesture as a sign of the revival of Roman traditions. In another sense, this could be interpreted as the restoration of Italy's connection with the great past.
The Roman salute has become official for the National Fascist Party. Following Italy, Germany adopted it, using the National Socialist German Workers' Party as a gesture. In 1926, the greeting became obligatory for its members. In 1937, Spain adopted the Roman salute. Generalissimo Franco ordered all Spanish citizens, except military personnel, to use this greeting as an official one. In 1945, the decree was canceled.
Knowing the history of the ancient world is very important. Thus, the connection with our ancestors is strengthened, intelligence increases, and horizons expand. Now you know abouthow the ancient Romans greeted each other, with military leaders and with the emperor himself. And also how he responded to his subjects.
