Where does the middle finger raised gesture come from? What is its origin?

It is difficult to say exactly when obscene nature of the middle finger originated, but it is possible to say that it has been used since ancient times.  The earliest documented reference to it being offensive is in Ancient Greece, in 419 BC when the gesture was used in a play.  It is believed that the middle finger being raised is done to mimic the private parts of a man.  The Romans also considered the middle finger to be obscene and had a name for it:  digitus impudicus, or indecent finger.  The first reference to the use of "the bird" in the United States occurred in a newspaper account of a baseball player gesturing it at reporters in 1886.  It also should be mentioned that the middle finger is not obscene in all cultures.  As an example, in Iran, the "thumbs up" sign is similar to what the middle finger means.