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{{Short description|Ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty}}
{{Other uses|Diadem (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Antiochus III 197 BC.JPG|thumb|upright=1.5|Coin of [[Antiochus III the Great]] of the [[Seleucid Empire]], shown wearing a diadem, which was a type of headband tied around the head. Greek inscription reads ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ, "of King Antiochus".]]
[[File:Silver and gold diadem with Herakles knot Philip II of Macedon 340-300 BCE NAM Aigai.jpg|thumb|Gold and silver diadem of [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II of Macedonia]]. This is one type of diadem used by Macedonian and Hellenistic rulers.]]
A '''diadem''' is a [[Crown (headgear)|crown]], specifically an ornamental [[headband]] worn by [[monarch]]s and others as a [[badge]] of [[Monarch|royalty]].

==Overview==
The word derives from the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet",<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Ddia%2Fdhma διάδημα],
Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus Digital Library</ref> from διαδέω ''diadéō'', "I bind round", or "I fasten".<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Ddiade%2Fw διαδέω], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus Digital Library</ref> 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 [[monarch|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 (headgear)|crown]], generally in a circular or "[[fillet (clothing)|fillet]]" shape. For example, the crown worn by Queen [[Juliana of the Netherlands]] was a diadem, as was that of a [[baron]]. The ancient [[Celts]] were believed to have used a thin, semioval gold plate called a ''mind'' ([[Old Irish]]) as a diadem.<ref>[[William Dwight Whitney]], ''The Century dictionary; an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language''. New York: [[The Century Company]] (1889), page 3,772. Google Book Search.</ref> 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.<ref>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</ref> 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 [[Laurel wreath|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 Persian, Greek and Macedonian traditions merged in the diadems of [[Alexander the Great]] and his successors in the [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic Age]].<ref>Ritter, Hans-Werner (1965). ''Diadem und Königsherrschaft. Untersuchungen zu Zeremonien und Rechtsgrundlagen des Herrschaftsantritts bei den Persern, bei Alexander dem Großen und im Hellenismus'' [Diadem and kingship. Studies on the ceremonies and legal basis of the accession to power among the Persians, Alexander the Great and Hellenism]. ''[[Vestigia]]'', vol. 7. Munich: Beck.</ref> 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|date=February 2022}} is described as a diadem in the original sources. It was this object that the [[Foederati|Foederatus]] general [[Odoacer]] returned to Emperor [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]] (the emperor of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]]) after his expulsion of the usurper [[Romulus Augustus]] from [[Rome]] in 476 AD.

==History==

The "Priest King" statue made by the [[Indus Valley civilization]] ({{Circa| 3300| 1300 BCE}}) wore a headband that is possibly a diadem.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.harappa.com/slide/priest-king-mohenjo-daro|title='Priest King,' Mohenjo-daro &#124; Harappa}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.harappa.com/indus2/122.html|title='Priest King' Forehead &#124; Harappa}}</ref>

After the death of [[Alexander the Great]], who used the diadem as part of his royal insignia, the Hellenistic [[Diadochi]] kings used the diadem to represent their claim to Alexander's legacy. The diadem was then adopted in [[Parthian Empire|Arsacid Parthia]], as well as the [[Saka|Sakas]] and [[Kushan Empire|Kushans]] after their subjugation of Diadochi kingdoms. These Middle Iranic dynasties combined the diadem with other forms of royal headgear such as the Parthian [[Tiara|tiara]], as the diadem become increasingly common among the kings of small vassal states.<ref name=canepa/> Under the Sassanid Persians, diadems grew significantly larger, remaining the most important symbol of kingship. The Romans initially avoided the diadem as it was associated with their negative image of Hellenistic and "Oriental" kings, but later emperors gradually adopted it beginning with [[Gallienus]].<ref name=canepa>{{cite book |last1=Matthew P. Canepa |title=The Two Eyes of the Earth: Art and Ritual of Kingship Between Rome and Sasanian Iran |date=2017 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520294837 |pages=196-199}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<!--chronological order-->
<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Goldschmuck - Diadem.jpg|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
File:MET DT9229.jpg|Gold diadem. [[India]], 9th–10th century
File:Crown of Sit-Hathor Yunet (Senusret II's daughter).jpg|The diadem or crown of Princess [[Sithathoriunet|Sit-Hathor Yunet]] from her tomb. [[Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt|12th Dynasty]] [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] 19th century BC.
File:17th Dynasty Crown (Nubkheperre Intef).jpg|[[Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt|17th Dynasty]] diadem crown ([[Rijksmuseum van Oudheden]])
File:MycenaeDiadems.jpg|[[Ellipse|Elliptical]] diadem from [[Mycenae]], [[Greece]] (16th century BC)
File:Diodotus I of Bactria wearing the diadem.jpg|[[Diodotus of Bactria]] wearing the ''diadema'', a white ribbon which was the [[Hellenistic]] symbol of [[kingship]]
File:Greek - Greek Diadem - Walters 571541.jpg|The centerpiece of this [[Hellenistic]] diadem is a [[Reef knot|Herakles knot]], known for its [[apotropaic]] powers and its status as a symbol of fertility. [[Walters Art Museum]], c. 3rd – 2nd century BC.
File:Greco-Roman - Woman's Head with Diadem - Walters 23241 - Right.jpg|Greco-Roman bust of a woman wearing a diadem (100 BC – 100 AD)
File:Tiberius II.jpg|Imperial diadem as worn by Eastern Christian Roman emperors from the 4th century onward
File:ArdashirIGoldCoinHistoryofIran.jpg|Ardashir I of Sassanian Persia wearing very elaborate diadems
File:03 Yacimiento calcolítico FuenteOlmedo by Ni.jpg|Gold diadem, copper dagger and archery equipment, [[Bell Beaker culture]], Spain, c. 2200 BC
File:Young woman with a diadem from Buenos Aires, Argentina (9338285893).jpg|An Argentine woman with a diadem
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Civic crown]]
* [[Mural crown]]
*[[Stephane (headdress)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Diadems}}
* [https://www.livius.org/articles/objects/diadem/ Diadem] at Livius.org
* [http://www.everything2.org/title/Diadem Diadem] at [[Everything2.com]]

{{Coronation}}
{{Types of Crowns}}
{{Clothing}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Crowns (headgear)]]
[[Category:Types of jewellery]]