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 "
fillet" shape. For example, the crown worn by Queen
Juliana of the Netherlands 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] Some of the earliest examples of these types of crowns can be found in ancient Egypt, from the simple fabric type to the more elaborate metallic type, and in the Aegean world.[4]
A diadem is also a jewelled 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.
Hera, queen of the
Greek gods, wore a golden crown called the diadem.
The "Priest King" statue made by the
Indus Valley civilization (
c. 3300 – c. 1300 BCE) wore a headband that is possibly a diadem.[5][6]
By extension, "diadem" can be used generally for an emblem of regal power or dignity. The
Roman emperor's head regalia worn, from the time of
Diocletian onwards,[citation needed] is described as a diadem in the original sources. It was this object that the
Foederatus general
Odoacer returned to Emperor
Zeno (the emperor of the
Eastern Roman Empire) after his expulsion of the usurper
Romulus Augustus from
Rome in 476 AD.
Gold diadem. Greek, probably made in
Alexandria,
Egypt, and belonging to a noblewoman of the
Ptolemaic dynasty (220–100 BC): the clasp is shaped as a Herakles knot
^Revello, Manuela, “The first aegean jewellery (4500-1800 B.C.): a new attempt at gold and silver diadems classification”, in Archaeometallurgy in Europe, International Conference Proceedings, Milan 24-25–26 September 2003, II, 657- 664