Mime is the silent art of acting out a scene or expressing feelings with gestures and facial expressions. Although many people think of the French when they think of this art, mime as entertainment dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It was then popular in Italy before it reached France, although it was so popular in France that schools were established and traditions of great French mimes followed. Modern American Mime is very different from the French version. The Romans brought this art form to Italy after they conquered Greece. It came to Paris in 1811 with the arrival of Bohemian Jean Gaspard Batiste Deburau, the son of a touring acrobatic family.