The Diadem in the Achaemenid and Hellenistic Periods

Abstract

The article is a review of the book Das Diadem der hellenistischen Herrscher, Bonn 2012, being a reference framework for a scrutiny of issues related to the origins of the royal diadem of post-Achaemenid (Hellenistic) kings. Addressed are terminological issues relating to diadems and functionally and/or formally analogous headbands. The designation ʻdiademʼ did not come into widespread use to denote headbands treated as an attribute of royal power until the Hellenistic period. The article addresses an issue which is crucial for the understanding of the Achaemenid and Hellenistic periods – attributes of royal power, the Achaemenid, Macedonian and Greek legacy, and the nature of royal power in antiquity.