Origins

As it turns out, what modern day society knows as the circus, did not just simply have an early history.  Like most artistic forms of expression and entertainment, its roots lie deep within ancient histories and cultures.
One of the first recorded histories containing mention of any sort of official circus arts was that of Ancient Egypt.  They utilized specialized trained dancers in the form of acrobatics and contortion-ism. In Ancient Greece, acrobatics and circus arts were also a major part of the cultures, first beginning with bull/chariot racing in arenas. ACROBAT originates from the two Greek words "acros" and "bat" or in other words - high walking.  They used four different words for their to describe their 'rope-walkers'. Oribat-rope dancer, Nuerobat-rope is set a great heights, Schoenobat-flies down the rope, and the Acrobat-acrobatics on rope. And the earliest acrobatic troupes have roots from China, during the time of the Han Dynasty.  From that point on, it took flight and evolved into the many different forms of the modern day circus.
Several more examples include but most definitely are not limited to:
From the Hopi native tribe celebrating the coyote trickster reveling in deviance; ‘ball dancers’, acrobats, and contortionists in ancient Egypt; flaming hoop dancers and rope walkers in Greece; histrones and baladins from Russia;  traveling wagon performers, mimicry, and the Festival of Fools in Europe; tumblers and troupes in Asia; wire-walkers in the Mediterranean; cacophonous display of grotesque human distortion; to the modern-day brilliance of extreme talent, diligence, and training.



















Image of Egyptian female jugglers.  Source: NYU - http://maisonfrancaise.as.nyu.edu/object/lmf-13-circus.html


Images of musicians and artists of Egypt.  Source: http://panhistoria.com/www/AncientEgyptianVirtualTemple/music.html



Egyptain contortionist talent. Source: https://blausternschlonge.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/egyptian-orobouros.jpg

Dancing by young females in Egypt.  Source: http://www.m.touregypt.net/featurestories/dance.htm




Ancient Greek and Roman Acrobats  Source: http://www.blondinmemorialtrust.com/funambulus


Etching of Greek 'bull jumping'   Source: Granciso de Goya








Greek dancers.  Source: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17289/17289-h/17289-h.htm
















Roman Dancers.  Source: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17289/17289-h/17289-h.htm