Ancient Rome
thumbs up & thumbs down
meant the opposite of what many think
Nick Knight
Must
of us have got this wrong.
It
is widely believed that the thumbs up gesture originates from the gladiatorial
fights of ancient Rome, in which the destiny of a losing gladiator was
decided by the crowd.
Thumbs
up, he lived, thumbs down - he died. If this is what you believe – then you
would be wrong, and here’s why.
Thumbs down, signified “swords down,” which
meant the losing gladiator was worth more to them alive and was to be spared to
fight another day.
The belief that the ‘thumbs-up’ and ‘thumbs-down’
gestures gave approval or disapproval respectively entered the public
consciousness with Jean-Léon Gérôme’s 1872 painting ‘Pollice Verso’. The
‘thumbs down’ gestures of the crowd in Gérôme’s popular picture were
interpreted by the 19th century public as signs of disapproval. Actually, the
artist probably never intended that, as ‘pollice verso’ just means turned
thumb.
Sadly
his art work became so popular that Gérôme’s mistake became the accepted
definition.
What
is even more sad is that Hollywood has its part to play too. Since Ridley Scott
made Gladiator, it has totally transformed tourism in Rome.
The
Colosseum is now the city’s largest attraction. There are men dressed as
gladiators offering to pose for pictures with you.
HOWEVER,
the painting had a strong influence on the film Gladiator.
The producers showed director Ridley Scott a reproduction
of the painting before he read the script; “That
image spoke to me of the Roman Empire in all its glory and wickedness. I knew
right then and there I was hooked”, commented Scott
Scholars before Gérôme gave support to the view that “thumbs
down” among the Romans, meant the hapless gladiator was to be spared, not killed.
The
gesture meant “Throw your sword down.”
A 1601 translation of Pliny equates the
gesture with “assent” or “favor”, and John Dryden’s 1693 version of Juvenal’s Satires gives the thumb being bent back, not down, as the death
signal.
Whenever
a combatant was seriously wounded, the presiding judge, or referee, was called
upon to determine whether the man should live or die, depending on how well he
had put up a fight.
Bit
like modern day ‘talent shows’ a judge usually based his decision on the
passions expressed by the crowds in the stadium; whether they would cheer,
applaud, and give the thumbs down if they liked the man.
If
they didn’t then they would give the thumbs up and his opponent would dispatch
the fatal blow.
Some
scholars suggest the thumbs up meant to thrust a sword up into the heart.
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