In recent times, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted (破坏) the age-old habit of shaking hands. ①It is most widely used as a greeting, but when did shaking hands become the standard greeting?
The handshake dates all the way back to the 9th century BC (公元前). King Shalmanesar III ruled over Assyria, an empire (帝国) of the ancient Middle East. Archaeologists (考古学家) found a throne base from that time. It shows two people holding hands. In the 5th century BC, this was a symbol of peace, showing that neither person carried a weapon (武器). The handshake also makes an appearance in Homer's (荷马的) ancient poem, the Iliad. In it, two characters shook each other's hands.
However, these handshakes were not used as greetings. The earliest reference (谈及，提到) to a handshake greeting is in the 16th century novels by French writer Francois Rabelais, says Dutch sociologist Herman Roodenburg.
Even so, the most widely-accepted idea about the handshake is that it came from a group called the Quakers, who were committed (致力于) to equality and peace. As the movement spread, so did the handshake, eventually becoming a standard among the working class in the mid-1700s.
However, this was not the case everywhere, according to Roodenburg. Some French people described it as a vulgar (平民) English greeting, so many kept "labise", the traditional peck (轻吻) on two cheeks. Because of the COVID-19, in many countries, people have started touching elbows to greet each other instead of shaking hands, as this is believed to be safer.
