The first recorded act of Mooning took place back in the Roman times and was the cause for some serious fighting and rioting.
First Mooning
Photo credit: William Whiston
Though mooning (the act of baring one’s buttocks) did not become common until the Middle Ages, the earliest recorded case dates from Roman times. According to the Roman historian Josephus, a Roman soldier mooned a passing group of Jews who were celebrating Passover. It was not so much the mooning itself but the act that accompanied it that caused offense. As Josephus delicately puts it: “One of the soldiers, lifting up the back of his garments . . . With his bottom to them crouched in a shameless way and released at them a foul-smelling sound.”
The result was a riot that caused the deaths of more than 30,000 people—so besides being the earliest, this was perhaps the most lethal mooning in history.
Guess they took the mooning as a serious insult back then. It was pretty rude!
Coffee out on the patio again!
