Encyclopedia > Diadem

  Article Content

Diadem

A diadem (from Greek 'diadema, diadeo', to surround) was originally a white ribbon, ending in a knot and two stripes that were placed often on the shoulders, that surrounded the head of the king to denote his authority.

By extension, this term was applied later to a crown, generally with a circular shape. For example, the crown worn by a Pagan drihten (Anglo-Saxon king) was a diadem, as was the crown of a baron later (in some countries surmounted by three globes).

A diadem is also a jewelled ornament worn by women with the shape of a half crown, placed over the forehead (in this sense, also called tiara). In some societies it is also a wreath worn around the head.



All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

 
  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
 
 
  
  Featured Article
Wheatley Heights, New York

... non-families. 13.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.42 and ...

 
 
 
This page was created in 39.5 ms