Diadem
Diadem (Greek: διάδημα, diádēma) was the white royal headband worn as a symbol of kingship by the successors of Alexander the Great. Following the Battle of Salamis in Cyprus (306 BC), the Diadochi increasingly adopted the diadem as the visible insignia of the office of βασιλεύς (basileús, king).
After the victory of Demetrius at Salamis, Antigonus was acclaimed king and immediately received the diadem from his companions.[1]
The remaining Diadochi soon followed. According to Plutarch, Lysimachus "began to wear a diadem", while Seleucus used the diadem in his dealings with the Greeks.[2]
Significance
In the Hellenistic world, the diadem served as the chief emblem of royal authority. The assumption of the diadem signified the public adoption of kingship and marked the transition of Alexander's former generals from satraps and regents into independent monarchs.
See also
- ↑ Plutarch, Life of Demetrius 18.1
ἐκ τούτου πρῶτον ἀνεφώνησε τὸ πλῆθος Ἀντίγονον καὶ Δημήτριον βασιλέας· Ἀντίγονος μὲν οὖν εὐθὺς ἀνεδήθη διάδημα παρὰ τῶν φίλων.
"Thereupon, for the first time, the multitude acclaimed Antigonus and Demetrius as kings; and Antigonus was immediately crowned with a diadem by his friends." - ↑ Plutarch, Life of Demetrius 18.1
Λυσίμαχος δὲ διάδημα περιετίθετο· Σελεύκῳ δὲ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐχρῆτο τῷ διαδήματι, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς βαρβάρους πρότερον ἤδη βασιλικῶς ἀπεκρίνετο.
"Lysimachus also began to wear a diadem; Seleucus also used the diadem in his intercourse with the Greeks, but in his dealings with the barbarians he had long before this acted the part of a king."