1
Dextrarum iunctio
SABINE MÜLLER
In Rome, the joining of the right hands of two
parties, known as dextrarum iunctio, was a
flexible motif with several connotations.
Besides the themes of meeting and parting,
the handclasp signified harmony, affinity,
friendship, and loyalty (Tac. Hist. 1.54.1,
2.8.2). As the right hand was consecrated to
the deity of fidelity, in scenes of a political
nature the handclasp represented political con-
cord at the conclusion of a contract.
On Roman coins, the motif emerged as an
image of FIDES, PIETAS, and CONCORDIA between
military commanders and their army or allies
(see COINAGE, ROMAN REPUBLIC; COINAGE, ROMAN
EMPIRE).
An important facet of the handclasp was its
association with marriage. A solemn part of the
confarreate wedding ceremony was the moment
at which the matron of honor (pronuba),
representing Juno, brought together the right
hands of bride and groom (see CONFARREATIO).
Already known in Etruscan arts, the
dextrarum iunctio is to be found especially on
Roman sepulchral monuments alluding not
only to marriage but also signifying fidelity
after death linking man and wife, parents and
children, or freedmen and patrons (Davies
1985: 633–4).
The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, First Edition. Edited by Roger S. Bagnall, Kai Brodersen, Craige B. Champion, Andrew Erskine,
and Sabine R. Huebner, print pages 2061–2062.
© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2013 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah22079
According to Zanker (1975: 285–8), the
widespread use of the gesture on funerary
monuments of freedmen emphasized their
newly acquired right to enter into matri-
monium iustum, as marriage between slaves
was not legally recognized. Alexandridis
(2004: 92–8) argued that in the second century
CE, the motif was adopted in the iconography
of the empire to demonstrate marital concord
in the imperial family.
As the chief visual evidence of marriage, the
gesture passed to Christian iconography and
continued to be represented in Renaissance
and Baroque art.
SEE ALSO: Freedmen and freedwomen; Juno;
Marriage, Greece and Rome; Wedding.
REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS
Alexandridis, A. (2004) Die Frauen des römischen
Kaiserhauses. Eine Untersuchung ihrer bildlichen
Darstellung von Livia bis Iulia Domna. Mainz.
Davies, G. (1985) “The significance of the
handshake motif in Classical funerary art.”
American Journal of Archaeology 87: 627–40.
Knippschild, S. (2002) “Drum bietet zum Bunde
die Hände.” Rechtssymbolische Akte in
zwischenstaatlichen Beziehungen im orientalischen
und griechisch-römischen Altertum. Stuttgart.
Zanker, P. (1975) “Grabreliefs römischer
Freigelassener.” Jahrbuch des Deutschen
Archäologischen Instituts 90: 267–315.