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There is mention in various ancient Greek writers of hand-clapping and noisemaking for the purpose of appreciation in such writers as Xenophon, Plato (The Laws) and Aristophanes (The Frogs) but they are fraught with ambiguity. In some cases the citations could mean that the clapping was to accompany music not to show appreciation. In others it is clear that appreciation is what is meant, but it is not clear whether hand-clapping or some other noise-making, like slapping hands on one's seat, was the standard form of applause. It is only with the Romans that applause becomes a serious issue, frequently and specifically addressed. We know an awful lot about the arcane world of Roman plaudits, but the Greeks remain something of a mystery. The odds are, however, that they expressed their opinion of the plays the way audiences generally do nowadays: with handclapping. (I will leave aside the interesting question of whether facebook-liking and twitter-following is in fact a form of silent applause.)

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