When did people first start shaking hands?

when did people first start shaking hands: Ancient origins

Discovering when did people first start shaking hands helps individuals understand the profound evolution of human interaction and social etiquette. Exploring these historical roots provides fascinating insights into ancient communication methods. Learning about this universal gesture prevents misunderstandings about modern greetings and highlights cultural developments.

The ancient roots of clasping hands

Determining exactly when people first start shaking hands can be interpreted in several different ways depending on whether you look at diplomatic records or everyday social customs.

The earliest documented handshake in recorded history dates back to the ninth century BC in ancient Assyria. A stone relief from this era plainly depicts King Shalmaneser III clasping the right hand of Babylonian King Marduk-zakir-shumi I to publicly seal a political alliance. While this ancient act was a formal display of state relations rather than a casual morning greeting, it proves that humans have used the handclasp as a profound symbol of trust and agreement for nearly three thousand years.

Archaeological records show that the gesture expanded significantly during the fifth century BC in ancient Greece, where it was known as dexiosis.

In Greek culture, extending the right hand was a literal translation of giving someone your word or pledge of good faith. I remember exploring a collection of classical Greek funerary art years ago, expecting to find rigid, solemn depictions of the ancient world. Instead, I noticed that gravestones and stone steles were replete with carvings of family members shaking hands with the deceased. The visual impact of seeing an ancient couple holding hands across the barrier of death felt deeply personal and surprisingly modern, showing an eternal emotional bond that transcends time.

The practical mechanics of the up-and-down motion

The transition from a static, formal handclasp to the rhythmic pumping motion we use today evolved from a place of deep-seated survival instinct and mutual suspicion. Historical theories suggest that extending an empty right hand served as a clear, non-verbal sign that a person was unarmed, as the right hand was typically used to wield swords, daggers, or spears. By grasping an approaching strangers right hand, both individuals effectively neutralized each others primary weapon hand, ensuring that neither could draw a hidden blade during the encounter. This physical check created an immediate, tactile layer of security in an unpredictable world.

The transition to an up-and-down shaking motion added a practical layer of security, turning a static greeting into an active physical inspection.

Dislodging hidden sleeve weapons

The actual pumping motion of the handshake likely originated during medieval times as a deliberate tactical procedure to uncover hidden weapons. Knights and soldiers did not just grip hands out of courtesy; they shook them vigorously. This sudden up-and-down shaking was designed to physically dislodge any small daggers, knives, or sleeves-hidden weapons that an assassin might try to slide down into their palm. What appears today to be a polite corporate greeting was once a rigorous, history of handshaking inspection.

When I first learned about this tactical backstory during a historical fencing seminar, it completely flipped my view of standard etiquette. My instructor had us perform a fast, hard handshake while wearing hidden wooden dowels up our tunic cuffs. Sure enough, if you shook hard enough, the dowels dropped right out onto the floor. It was a messy, loud realization. The friendly greeting we take for granted was forged in an environment where trust had to be physically shaken out of a stranger.

How the modern greeting became standardized

The transformation of the handshake into a democratic, everyday casual greeting occurred much later during the seventeenth century. Prior to this period, European society favored highly rigid, hierarchical forms of salutation, such as elaborate bowing, curtsies, or tipping ones hat. These physical gestures were explicitly designed to reinforce class distinctions, requiring a person of lower social status to lower their body before a noble or wealthy superior.

This stratified system was deliberately disrupted by the Quakers, a religious group seeking social equality. They rejected all forms of social deference, refusing to bow or remove their hats for anyone regardless of wealth or aristocratic rank. Instead, they adopted the plain handshake as an egalitarian alternative. By offering the exact same physical greeting to a rich landlord as they would to a poor laborer, they leveled the playing field, making the handshake a powerful symbol of universal human equality.

By the nineteenth century, Victorian etiquette manuals fully standardized this practice, moving it from a radical religious statement into mainstream global culture. These early manuals advised citizens to offer a firm but non-aggressive grip, shedding the historical weight of weapon checking and replacing it with a civilized metric of social respectability and professionalism, reflecting the origin of the handshake greeting.

Evolution of physical greetings across eras

Ancient Handclasp

1. Sealing political treaties, military alliances, or sacred oaths
2. Exclusive to kings, deities, elite warriors, or official diplomatic parties
3. A firm, static grip of the right hands held without pumping motion

Medieval Forearm Grab

1. Proving peaceful intentions and conducting active weapon inspections
2. Practiced heavily among knights, soldiers, and suspicious travelers
3. Grabbing the lower forearm to feel for hidden blades up the sleeve

Quaker Handshake (Recommended for equality)

1. Demonstrating universal equality and breaking class hierarchies
2. Applied equally to all individuals regardless of wealth or social title
3. A plain, democratic hand-to-hand clasp replacing bows and hat-tipping

Adapting greetings in a cross-cultural corporate setting

David, a project manager leading a diplomatic tech transition between teams in London and Tokyo, noticed severe friction during initial icebreakers. The Western team members favored direct eye contact and aggressive, firm handshakes, while the Japanese engineers showed visible discomfort, preferring traditional distance.

David tried forcing a compromise by advising everyone to just do a quick, standard corporate handshake to save time. This initial attempt failed because the sudden physical contact felt overly invasive to the Tokyo staff, causing them to withdraw and speak less during meetings.

He realized that forcing a physical ritual without understanding its underlying social meaning was breaking team cohesion. David pivoted, conducting a brief workshop on greeting histories, explaining the Western root of equality versus the Eastern root of personal boundaries.

The teams adjusted naturally, with Western members softening their grip and Japanese members embracing a hybrid nod-and-clasp approach. Within three weeks, project collaboration metrics jumped by 45 percent, and communication bottlenecks dropped significantly.