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Crowns have been used for millennia as a symbol of power, rank, and distinction, both for rulers and religious leaders. In this gallery of images, we take a look at some fabulous, unusual, and even slightly odd crowns that were worn in cultures across the globe stretching in time from ancient Egypt to modern Britain.
Some ancient Korean crowns have feather or wing-like decorations, which suggest the importance of birds in Sillaculture, a fact corroborated by Chinese records noting that the cultures prior to the Silla kingdom buried bird's wings with their dead. In shamanism, which was prevalent in early Korea, wings are associated with flight in the spiritual world. For this reason, some scholars suggest that the stag-like pieces on the crown diadem are also stylised bird feathers.
The Imperial State Crown of the monarchy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island. Used in coronations and other state events, it contains the famous
Black Prince’s ruby (actually a balas or spinel), the Cullinan II diamond, the Stuart Sapphire, Saint Edward’s Sapphire, over 2,800 diamonds, 15 more sapphires, 11 emeralds, and four rubies. The crown is part of the British Crown Jewels which are held in the Tower of London.
Based on Wikipedia content that has been reviewed, edited, and republished.
Original image by Cyril Davenport. Uploaded by Mark Cartwright, published on 24 November 2019. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Public Domain. This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
