The history of palmistry probably dates back to prehistoric times. The Chinese were known to have already been using palmistry 5000 years ago. Aristotle mentioned palmistry in his writings around in the 4th century BC. The science of palmistry was also studied by the Romans, Indians (Vedic Palmistry), Arabs, Hebrews, Malays and Egyptians.
Nowadays, there are two distinct approaches to palmistry. Cheiromancy embraces the fortune-telling approach and refers to the lines on the palm of the hand. Cheirognomy, also known as hand analysis, concentrates on discerning the strengths and weaknesses of the personality from the shape of the hand. This branch has also come to include the study and meaning of dermatoglyphics (finger prints) and skin ridge patterns. Many readers prefer to blend the two approaches in a mixture of old and new.
With the proliferation of palmistry websites available I have decided to limit myself to describing a few of the more unusual and lesser known palmistry tidbits.
Those who enjoy a psychological approach to palmistry, should explore Arnold Holtzman's excellent site on Psychodiagnostic Chirology.
Subject: History Of... 
Sat Aug 15, 2009 4:08 pm