Proskynesis

Common card · No. 238882

Proskynesis (), also called proscynesis () or proskinesis (; Greek: προσκύνησις proskýnēsis; Latin: adoratio), was a solemn gesture of respect towards gods and people in many societies. Among the Persians, it referred to a man prostrating himself and kissing the hand or the limbs of a respected person. It was also one of the religious rites among both Greeks and Romans. In Byzantine society, it was a common gesture of supplication or reverence. The physical act ranged from full-fledged prostration or alternatively genuflection, a bow, or a simple greeting that concretized the relative positions of performer and beneficiary within a hierarchical order (τάξις táxis).

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