The world's first professional acrobats were flipping through the Middle East 4,000 years ago
Inhabitants of the ancient city-states of the Middle East enjoyed a vibrant social and economic life centered on palace and temple institutions, supported by surrounding agricultural and pastoralist communities. People, goods and ideas flowed between these cities generating a cultural sphere within which strong local identities and customs were preserved.
One such custom that arose in the area of Syria was the professional acrobat, or huppû, attached to the royal court.
The first known mention of the huppû is in administrative documents from the ancient city of Ebla (Tell Mardikh) in Syria dated as early as 2320 BCE. Details of the profession can be further pieced together from snippets of information in a royal archive (1771–1764 BCE) of about 20,000 tablets preserved at the neighboring city of Mari (Tell Hariri) on the Euphrates River. Read more.