According to the data that explanatory dictionaries provide us with, a herald is a person under the ruler who announces his will to the people. In addition, these people introduced urban residents to the latest news and decrees. The herald had a special position at court, enjoyed a number of privileges.
Modern scholars believe that the herald is a special person who is, so to speak, the progenitor of an advertising business. But let's start with the story.
Antiquity
Who is the herald, they knew in deep antiquity. Today it is believed that it was in those days that the first advertisement appeared. It is from the documents that have survived to our times that scientists have gathered information about the basics and laws of compiling advertising texts, a stable structure for the correct presentation of important information.
Tacitus and Suetonius, Herodotus and Plutarch and other famous historians of antiquity often mentioned heralds in their writings. Let's see what are the distinguishing features of this profession. So herald. Who is it? And how did one such specialist differ from another?
Three groups of heralds
In ancient cities, heralds were divided into several groups. Some worked, let's say, in the approximation, near the ruler and carried out diplomatic missions. Others were elected by the people and played the role of messengers transmitting important information and disseminating news. In ancient Greek policies, the herald is a person who is completely subordinate only to the local administration.
And finally, the third group related to trade. Who is a market herald? This is a very wealthy person, working, as a rule, for private individuals. They hired him, so that he would cheerfully and invitingly advertise their goods. He invited me to buy this or that product, called in a loud voice the prices and features of the goods.
A market herald is a rich person, especially if he knows how to shout loudly, invitingly. So everyone who was hired as a student by famous specialists in the city believed. Some historians call this caste of heralds jesters and clowns. There is some truth in this. The profession obliged to do everything possible so that the people bought the goods offered. They told jokes, added humorous comments, while not forgetting to praise the goods. Friendly laughter, of course, attracted other market buyers, and trade was active.
Attributes
According to the attributes that the herald owned, one could immediately tell which caste he belongs to and to whom he serves (the “lord”, the local administration, or the prosperous merchant). A simple city herald, as a rule, was equipped with a bell or horn, with which he called the people. Hearing the ringing of a ringing bell, the locals hurried to the main square. A simple herald usually reported the nearest date for gladiatorial battles or the distribution of bread to the poor.
Work from the ruler was considered more responsible and important. This is a more privileged caste of castles, which was already equipped not with a small bell, but with a caduceus. The rod in the hands of the herald was an indicator of his high position and proof of belonging to the "messengers of the gods."
Such a person no longer spoke about bread or fighting, he informed the people about important state affairs, about the city meeting, about visiting the embassy. Privileged heralds were allowed to cover the heroic deeds and triumphs of the victorious generals. It is believed that they are the progenitors of modern broadcasters and news reporters.
Parents of Advertising
Not a single meeting, holiday date, or other important event was complete without the participation of the heralds. Herald - what is it? Historians say that this is a position in which a person was engaged in covering events anytime, anywhere. These people even notified the people about the beginning of the funeral processions. Loud shouts and furious gestures - that was what was important in the work of the herald.
It is believed that they are the founders of modern advertising. This is especially true for the caste that worked in markets and ordinary urban squares. If you translate the word reclamare from Latin, then it will mean "scream, vote, announce, shout."
The heralds "touted" the great warriors, singing their deeds before the people. They “advertised” merchants and rulers, telling the people what they had done and what they had achieved. “Advertising” was also in a call for gladiatorial battles, during which trade was particularly active.