Have you ever wondered how the forms of greeting we use today including the handshake came to be? How come these gestures originated?

THE HISTORY OF HANDSHAKE

Out of all greeting gestures which are not religious or tied to a cultural background, like high fives or fist bumps, a handshake is the most widely used one. The relics from past suggest that the practice of handshake dates back to 5th century BC when it was used in ancient Greece.

RELICS OF PAST SHOWCASING THE GESTURE OF A HANDSHAKE

1.A 5th-century funereal relic at the Pergamon Museum of Berlin shows two soldiers shaking hands

2.In Athens, a 5th-century stone slab depicts Hear and Athena shaking hands

3.A Greek poet Homer described handshaking as a display of trust in his epics The Odyssey and The Iliad

THE SECRET BEHIND THE PRACTICE OF HANDSHAKE

It is believed that the handshake was a symbol of peace showing that you are not carrying a weapon. During the Roman Era, the handshake evolved to arm grab and the Knights in Medieval Europe might have added the shaking of hands up and down as a way to dislodge hidden weapons.

WHEN THE GESTURE BECAME AN EVERYDAY FORM OF GREETING

According to some historians, the handshake was made popular in the 17th century by the Quakers. By 1800s, the practice became more common and soon there were etiquette manuals and guidelines for a proper handshake. People from different places preferred different grip, style and technique of the greeting gesture.