Persian king (centre) and courtiers (right) depicted in the conventional attitude of proskynesis at PersepolisDifferent degrees of proskynesis, from a slight bow of the head to full prostrationMoravians performing proskynesis during Christian worship in 1735
In Byzantine society, it was a common gesture of supplication or reverence. The physical act ranged from full-fledged prostration or alternatively genuflection, a bow, or a simple greeting that concretized the relative positions of performer and beneficiary within a hierarchical order (τάξιςtáxis).[2]