Dexiosis – The Ancient Greek Handshake – A Gesture of Peace
Marble group of hands – Fragment of a dexiosis (farewell scene) from an Attic grave relief – Late 4th c. BC – Benaki Museum – Athens
The origin of the Dexiosis (δεξίωσις), the Greek handshake; two people shaking hands as a symbolic gesture of trust, equality and farewell is believed to date back to at least the 5th century BC in ancient Greece.
The term Dexiosis, literally means offering the other person one’s right hand, the “good” hand, to make friendly contact.
A symbol of Peace
Dove of Peace, 1949 by Pablo Picasso
Dexiosis, was a symbol of peace, as it showed that neither person was carrying a weapon and represented a permanent bond or peaceful union.
References to handshakes can be found in Homer’s Iliad, which dates to roughly the year 800 BC.
In his epic poem, Homer uses the handshake, or dexiosis, as a symbol of agreement, as an oath, as an offer of comfort for the bereaved and as a pact of trust.
“On opposing sides in the Trojan War, the two men realise they have a mutual bond through their grandfathers. They exchange armour and ‘clasped each other’s hands as a pledge of their good faith”.
Ancient Greek Handshakes
Dexiōsis ( Greek – handshake) – Attic white-ground red-figured lekythos, late 5th century BC.
The handshake was not only mentioned in texts but is also portrayed on ancient Greek reliefs, tombstones and funerary monuments from the 5th century BCE, where two people are often shown clasping hands in a symbolic gesture of friendship, peace and trust.
Grave stele – Found in Athens – Representing a dexiosis (handshake) between a youth followed by his dog and a bearded man – Ca. 400 B.C – National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
On funerary steles (Ancient Greek grave markers) the handshake probably represented the final goodbye between the deceased and a loved one.
The oldest indication, dating from approximately the fifth century BC, of the handshake as a gesture of greeting, is an Ancient Greek sculpture, found on a funerary naiskos from the grave of Agathon and Sosykrates, located at the entrance Cloister of the Kerameikos Archaeological Museum in Athens.
Ancient Greek funerary naiskos, from the grave of Agathon and Sosykrates, exhibited in the entrance Cloister of the Kerameikos Archaeological Museum
The base of a column, at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, shows Hera, the wife of Zeus, shaking hands with Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
Hera and Athena handshaking, late 5th century BC, Acropolis Museum, Athens
The Handshake Gesture Today
Today, the handshake has become a standard greeting in many professional and social settings worldwide, especially in Western cultures.
Down the years, the practice of handshaking has become the most widely used form of greeting.
The handshake, during the middle ages, became historically connected with chivalry and courtesy; knights would offer their hand in a handshake to show that they were not carrying weapons and also as a show of respect to their peers.
Today, the handshake has become a standard greeting in many professional and social settings worldwide, especially in Western cultures.
More often than not it is used in business dealings, diplomatic affairs and social events as a sign of respect and trust.
