wear veils as a reflection of their holding high priestly offices. The warlords Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, for example, on some silver denarii of 44 B.C. Though it might be presumed that veils were worn only by women in the Roman world, coins and other ancient objects prove otherwise. Though this type of diadem may have been used extensively in the palace, it seldom appeared on coins, on which the standard pearl-diadem was by far the most common. Soon this evolved into an even more ornate form of diadem, which was composed of large decorative rosettes that were attached to the diadem and interspaced by pearls or pellets. The plain diadem evolved into one adorned with rows of pearls along its top and bottom edges, usually with a medallion at the forehead. 307 to 337), and soon thereafter became standard. This type of crown was favored by Constantine I “the Great” (A.D. The plain diadem underwent a significant evolution, which included the addition of a decorative medallion above the forehead. Just like a laurel wreath or a radiate crown, it often has ties trailing from the back, where two ends were bound. In its simplest form, the royal diadem, which often is called a stephane in the form worn by women, is an unadorned strip of cloth or metal that wraps around the crown of the head. Its symbolic value was essentially the same to both the Greeks and the Romans, though on Roman coins its use often had the additional function of earmarking a coin as being a double-denomination. It was especially applicable to the Greek sun-god Helios, and thus also to the Roman version of that god, Sol. The Greeks had reserved this crown type for divinities or for kings who wished to publicize a special devotion or connection to the gods. This distinctive form of crown was made of metal and consisted of a circular headband from which parallel spikes protruded upward in evenly spaced increments. It rested comfortably above the ears with its wreath ties hanging at the back of the head. The wreath usually comprises laurel branches, though on rare occasions it may be formed of oak leaves, reeds or ivy. The Romans adopted this Greek tradition and applied it to a number of their own cultural mores, including, eventually, as a means of representing the rank of emperor.ĭuring the first 350 years of the empire, this is the most common portrait form for emperors. In this installment we’ll discuss the five most common types of head ornamentation on coins of the Roman Empire: laurel wreaths, radiate crowns, diadems, veils, and helmets.Īmong the many traditions of the Greeks was the use of wreaths, especially as symbols of victory. This traditional “minimalist” approach came to be reserved mainly for subordinate rulers, usually with the rank of Caesar, as the emperors almost always wear some kind of head ornamentation. The portraits of emperors afterward rarely show these men bareheaded. However, after Marcus Aurelius’ reign, that tradition slipped away. This was a common way to portray rulers during the long period spanning the reigns of Augustus (27 B.C. We may start with the base-line image, in which the subject wears no kind of head ornamentation at all. Though it is most tempting to discuss the portraits themselves, it is equally worthwhile to examine how they were adorned. For more than five centuries engravers cut dies that captured the images of emperors, Caesars, empresses and other members of the royal families who ruled the empire. It has long been recognized that the hallmark of Roman Imperial coinage is the “portrait gallery” it preserves for us to enjoy so long after Roman civilization has fallen.
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