In Roman antiquity, the Latin [ars] mimica denoted the bodily movements of an actor. The word “mime” was used as a synonym for “gesture” until the 19th century. Today, its meaning (in English and French, mime – the  German Mimik refers more specifically to facial expression, cf. also Mienenspiel, “facial play”) is confined to the use of body movements and facial expressions in the theatrical context, as a method of silently expressing a real or feigned emotion. This discussion will focus on the history of mime in the older sense of gesture, expression, and move…