Diadem
Diadem (Greek: διάδημα, diádēma, "band", "fillet", or "headband") was a decorative band worn around the head as a symbol of authority, nobility, victory, or kingship. Variations of the diadem were worn in the ancient Near East, Persia, Greece, and the Hellenistic kingdoms, eventually becoming one of the principal insignia of monarchic authority.
The Greek word διάδημα derives from the verb διαδέω (diadéō), meaning "to bind around" or "to fasten."[1]
Ancient Near East
Headbands and royal fillets were worn by rulers in the ancient Near East centuries before the conquests of Alexander the Great. Various forms of royal headgear are attested among the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and other monarchies of the region.
Persia
The Achaemenid Persian kings wore distinctive royal headgear as symbols of sovereignty. Following Alexander's conquest of Persia, elements of Persian royal dress were gradually adopted by the Macedonian rulers and their successors.
The Roman historian Quintus Curtius Rufus records that Alexander increasingly adopted aspects of Persian royal attire, including the diadem.[2]
Alexander the Great
The diadem became closely associated with royal authority during the reign of Alexander the Great. Ancient authors describe Alexander wearing the diadem as a symbol of his universal kingship.
According to Plutarch, following Alexander's death the royal diadem itself became a symbol of legitimate succession. During a naval engagement, Alexander's diadem reportedly fell into the sea and was recovered by one of his companions, who briefly placed it upon his own head while swimming in order to protect it from the water.[3]
Hellenistic Kingdoms
Following the death of Alexander, the Diadochi initially ruled as satraps and regents while maintaining the fiction of a unified empire under the Argead dynasty. The assumption of the diadem marked the transition from regency to independent kingship.
After the Battle of Salamis in Cyprus (306 BC), Antigonus became the first of the Diadochi to receive the diadem following public acclamation as king.[4]
The remaining Diadochi soon followed. Lysimachus simply adopted the diadem, while Seleucus likewise used the diadem in his dealings with the Greeks.[5]
Symbolism
Among the Hellenistic monarchies, the diadem became the supreme visible symbol of kingship. The wearing of the diadem signified the public exercise of royal authority as βασιλεύς (basileús, king).
Biblical References
In the Septuagint and the New Testament, διάδημα is used to describe royal crowns and symbols of kingly authority.[6]
See also
- ↑ Liddell-Scott-Jones, διάδημα; διαδέω.
- ↑ Quintus Curtius Rufus, Historiae Alexandri Magni, Book 6.
- ↑ Plutarch, Life of Alexander 22.
- ↑ 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." - ↑ Revelation 12:3; 13:1; 19:12 (LXX/Greek text).