"Rolling out the red carpet" is  to give someone the royal treatment. Have you ever been curious about the origin of this expression?

Where does this notion come from and what is its significance? The history of the red carpet goes back to Ancient Greece, as so many things do.

The first known incidence of a red carpet being rolled out is described in the ancient Greek tragedy Oresteia, by Aeschylus when Clytemnestra rolls out a carpet in honour of her husband, Agamemnon, as he returns victorious from the Trojan War.


In the ancient Greek play, Clytemnestra attempts to persuade Agamemnon to step on a red tapestry or carpet and walk into his palace as a true homecoming conqueror. Eventually, she persuades him and since then, the crimson carpet has been rolled out to give a regal welcome.