diadem

A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by Eastern monarchs and others as a badge of royalty. The word derives from the Greek "διάδημα" (diádēma), "band" or "fillet",^[1] from "διαδέω" (diadéō), "I bind round", or "I fasten".^[2]

The term originally referred to the embroidered white silk ribbon, ending in a knot and two fringed strips often draped over the shoulders, that surrounded the head of the king to denote his authority. Such ribbons were also used to crown victorious athletes in important sports games in antiquity. It was later applied to a metal crown, generally in a circular or "filet" shape. For example, the crown worn by the kings of Anglo-Saxon England was a diadem, as was that of a baron later (in some countries surmounted by three globes). The ancient Celts were believed to have used a thin semioval gold plate called a mind (Old Irish) as a diadem.^[3]

A diadem is also a jeweled ornament in the shape of a half crown, worn by women and placed over the forehead (in this sense, also called tiara). In some societies, it may be a wreath worn around the head. The ancient Persians wore a high and erect royal tiara encircled with a diadem.

By extension, "diadem" can be used generally for an emblem of regal power or dignity. The head regalia worn Roman Emperors, from the time of Diocletian onwards, is described as a diadem in the original sources and it was this object that the barbarian king Odoacer sent to Zeno (the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire) following the dissolution of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD.

Gallery

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  Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden on her wedding day, wearing the famous Cameo tiara. It was made for Empress Josephine, first wife of Napoleon I, by the French Crown Jeweller Marie-Etienne Nitot in Paris in 1811. The centre oval depicts Cupid and Psyche.

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  Diodotus of Bactria wearing the diadema, a white ribbon which was the Hellenistic symbol of kingship.

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  The Imperial Diadem as worn by Christian emperors of the Roman world.

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  A gold diadem. Greek, probably made in Alexandria, Egypt, 220 - 100 B.C. The piece probably belonged to a noble woman of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. The clasp is shaped as a protective Herakles knot.

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  Elliptical diadem from Mycenae, Greece. 16th Century BC.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Diadems

• Crown - LoveToKnow 1911. 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica - Free Online.
• Diadem. Livius. Articles on Ancient History.
• diadem Everything2.com.

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