It’s a trope you’ll see everywhere from war movies to Tom and Jerry cartoons. But why is waving a white flag used as a symbol of capitulation or surrender?

​Well, given that historians in ancient Rome and ancient China were referring to a white flag being used in times of surrender some 2,000 years ago, this is by no means a modern convention.

An Ancient Symbol of Surrender

Although it hasn’t always been followed throughout history (surrendering armies in the Middle Ages, for instance, would often fly the flag of their enemy as a sign of their capitulation), in his Historiae, written in the 2nd century AD, for instance, the Roman historian Tacitus mentions a white flag being flown by the supporters of the Emperor Vitellus following their defeat by the supporters of his rival, Vespasian, at the Second Battle of Cremona way back in AD 69.

Across in China, a white flag had become a symbol of surrender during the early Han Dynasty too, which rose to power as far back as AD 25.

Why White Became the Standard

Although it seems likely that the Eastern and Western worlds adopted the use of a white flag entirely independently, the choice of white here is by no means a coincidence, and is instead based on two simple considerations: visibility and convenience.

On the one hand, a bright plain white flag or piece of fabric would understandably stand out among the other more colorful flags, pennants, and banners typically carried by troops onto the battlefields of history. Such a flag would also likely stand out clearly against the surrounding landscape, and so a white flag would ultimately make the actions and decisions of a surrendering side clearly visible to their opponents, even in the throes of a bloody battle, and even in the dark.

On the other hand, colored or dyed fabrics were often expensive and therefore hard to come by in ancient times, and so a plain or undyed piece of fabric would be understandably easier to find if times became desperate and a band of troops wished to surrender. Whether torn from a tent or a shelter, a blanket, or even a soldier’s clothing or uniform, for instance, a makeshift white flag could be put together without much difficulty on the battlefield, and a surrendering signal sent almost immediately if so required.

Imagine instead if it were the convention to wave a blue or green flag to signal surrender, and how hard it might therefore be for a cornered group of soldiers or fighters to find a piece of suitable fabric among their dwindling supplies!