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Ceremonial Weapon
A ceremonial weapon is an object used for ceremonial purposes to display power or authority. They are often used in parades and as part of dress uniforms. Although they are descended from weapons used in actual combat, they are not normally used as such. Their form and, especially, their finishing and decoration are typically designed to show status and power and to be an impressive sight, rather than for practicality as a weapon. Quite often, ceremonial weapons are constructed with precious metals or other materials that make them too delicate for combat use. With ceremonial swords, an example of this is that the sword may be poorly balanced. Historically, however, many ceremonial weapons were also capable of actual combat, most notably in the military. Maces, halberds, daggers and swords are the most common form of ceremonial weapons, but in theory almost any weapon can become ceremonial. The Sergeant at Arms in some parliaments carries a ceremonial mace. The Swiss Guard in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baton (military)
The ceremonial baton is a short, thick stick-like object, typically in wood or metal, that is traditionally the sign of a field marshal or a similar high-ranking military officer, and carried as a piece of their uniform. The baton is distinguished from the swagger stick in being thicker and effectively without any practical function. A staff of office is rested on the ground; a baton is not. Unlike a royal sceptre that is crowned on one end with an eagle or globe, a baton is typically flat-ended. Origins The baton can most likely be traced back to the mace, with ancient Kings and Pharaohs often being buried with ceremonial maces. With the advent of primitive body armor, the mace went out of fashion, but made a comeback as an effective weapon against full plate armour during the Late Middle Ages. During this time, the staff of office also became a prominent symbol of power. By the time of Louis X of France, it was common for sergeants-at-arms to carry highly ornamented cer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vine Staff
__NOTOC__ The vine staff, vine-staff, or centurion's staff ( la, vitis) was a vinewood rod of about in length used in the ancient Roman Army and Navy. It was the mark and tool of the centurion: both as an implement in the direction of drill and maneuvers; and to beat wayward or laggard soldiers or sailors under his command. It was also borne by ''evocati'' who held an equivalent rank. Origin The vine staff may have derived from the Etruscan ''lituus'' and was certainly in use by the Punic Wars. Following the enactment of the Porcian Laws in the early 2nd century BC, it was the only manner by which Roman citizens could be beaten and is mentioned by various classical authors. A line in Ovid notes that "the good general commits the ''vitis'' to one to command one hundred." Pliny: "The centurion's vine staff is an excellent medicine for sluggish troops who don't want to advance..." "and when used to chastise offenses makes even the punishment respectable." It carried none ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tumi
Tumi ( ''Quechua'' for 'Knife', ''variants'': 'Tome', 'Tume'), is a generic term encompassing the many kinds of sharp tools utilized in pre- and post-colonial eras of the Central Andes region, Tumis were employed for a diverse set of purposes such as kitchen knives, agricultural tools, warrior or hunting secondary weapons, sacrificial knives, barber implements, pendants, or medical tools. In addition, the tumi form, in metal, was used as a type of coin. Pre-columbian Tumis were usually made of metal or stone. Overview Perhaps the highly ornate ax-shaped ceremonial tumis made by the North coastal Peruvian cultures are the most widely acknowledged, characterized by a semi-circular blade, made of either bronze, copper, gold-alloy, silver alloy or wood and often inlayed with semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli. Sacrificial Tumis are most often associated with Pre-Inca cultures in the Peruvian North Coastal Region and in some cases with the Inca culture itself. The most popula ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sword Of Saint Wenceslas
The Sword of Saint Wenceslas ( cz, Meč svatého Václava) or the Coronation Sword of Bohemia (''Korunovační meč Čech'') is a ceremonial sword used in the Kingdom of Bohemia during coronation ceremonies in Prague. The blade of the Sword dates back to the 10th century, to the times of St. Wenceslaus. Together with the Coronation Cross it is sometimes considered to be a part of the Bohemian Crown Jewels. Unlike the proper crown jewels, the sword and the cross are permanently displayed as part of the Treasury of St. Vitus Cathedral in the Holy Cross Chapel at the Prague Castle. History Until the 19th century it was believed that the sword was an authentic weapon used by Duke Wenceslas in the 10th century. Later, the sword was considered to be Gothic, made in the 14th century probably by Charles IV who made the new ceremonial crown, which was also dedicated to the main Czech patron saint, St. Wenceslaus. However, a recent detailed technological examination of the sword confi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sword Of Justice
A sword of justice is a ceremonial sword that is used to signify a monarch's supreme judicial power. In some cases, this may have been an executioner's sword that was no longer used for executions, becoming instead a ceremonial one. The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom include two swords of justice: the sharply pointed Sword of Temporal Justice and the obliquely pointed Sword of Spiritual Justice, whose characteristics are said to indicate that only temporal courts have power over death. The current two swords, together with Curtana, the Sword of Mercy, were made for coronation of Charles I of England, which took place in 1626. References External links Sword of Justiceexample at the Higgins Collection The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum is the principal art gallery and museum in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, run by Bedford Borough Council and the trustees of the Cecil Higgins Collection. Overview The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum is in the Ca ... Ceremonial weapons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sword Of Islam (Mussolini)
The Sword of Islam ( ar, سيف الإسلام, Sayf al-Islām) was a ceremonial weapon given in 1937 to Benito Mussolini, who was pronounced as the ''Protector of Islam'' ( ar, حامي الإسلام, Hāmī al-Islām). History In 1934, after the creation of Italian Libya, Mussolini adopted a policy for encouraging comparisons with Islam, calling the local population "Italian Muslims of the fourth shore of Italy", building or restoring mosques and Quranic schools, preparing service facilities for the pilgrims going to Mecca and even making a High School of Islamic Culture in Tripoli. Behind the apparent humanitarian intent, the Fascists and some sectors of the Islamic world were recognizing that Mussolini's policy targeted the common enemies of Fascist Italy and Islam, France and the United Kingdom. These common interests were generated from the aversion to the agreements of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, dominated by France, the United Kingdom and the United States which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swagger Stick
A swagger stick is a short stick or riding crop usually carried by a uniformed person as a symbol of authority. A swagger stick is shorter than a staff or cane, and is usually made from rattan. Its use derives from the vine staff carried by Roman centurions as an emblem of office. United Kingdom In the British Army before World War I, swagger sticks were carried by all other ranks when off duty, as part of their walking out uniform. The stick took the form of a short cane of polished wood, with an ornamented metal head of regimental pattern. The usual custom was for the private soldier or non-commissioned officer (NCO) to carry the stick tucked under his arm. Cavalrymen carried a small riding cane instead of the swagger stick of infantry and other branches. This practice was restricted to the army and Royal Marines, and was never imitated by the other services, although T. E. Lawrence when he had enlisted in the Royal Air Force under the name of Ross, mentions that airmen und ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Staff Of Office
A staff of office is a staff, the carrying of which often denotes an official's position, a social rank or a degree of social prestige. Apart from the ecclesiastical and ceremonial usages mentioned below, there are less formal usages. A gold- or silver-topped cane can express social standing (or dandyism). Teachers or prefects in schools traditionally carried less elaborate canes which marked their right (and potential threat) to administer canings, and military officers carry a residual threat of physical punishment in their swagger sticks. Orchestral conductors have in their batons symbols of authority as well as tools of their trade. Ecclesiastical use Churchwardens (and sometimes sidesmen) traditionally carry staves or wands on special occasions as an emblem of their office. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and some of the Oriental Orthodox Churches an ecclesiastical walking stick is used by bishops, archimandrites and hegumens (abbots) when walking outside. It is usually ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pace Stick
A pace stick is a long stick usually carried by warrant officer and non-commissioned officer drill instructors in the British and Commonwealth armed forces as a symbol of authority and as an aid to military drill. A pace stick usually consists of two pieces of wood, hinged at the top, and tapering towards the bottom, very similar to large wooden drafting compasses used on school blackboards. They are usually shod and fitted with highly polished brass. They can open so that the tips separate at fixed distances, corresponding to various lengths of marching pace, such as "double march", "quick march", "step short", etc. When opened to the correct pace length, the pace stick can be held alongside the holder's body by the hinge, with one leg of the stick vertical to the ground, and the other leg pointing forward. By twirling the stick while marching, the stick can be made to "walk" alongside its holder at the proper pace. Otherwise, while on parade or when marching, it is normally car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indonesian Ceremonial Bronze Axes
The Indonesian ceremonial bronze axes were Bronze Age objects that were produced in the Nusantara (archipelago), Indonesian archipelago between the 1st and 2nd century AD. Archaeological sites in Java, Bali, Sulawesi, the eastern islands, and around Lake Sentani in Papua (province), Papua have been uncovered, showing the bronze axes at the center of a bronze production or at burial sites. They are a testimony of the extensive trade network in the islands of the archipelago in the first millennium AD, thought to be connected to the Dong Son culture. Archaeology The first record of metalwork in the Indonesian archipelago was around 500 BC. Most of the earliest bronze objects were probably used for ceremonies e.g. highly stylized axes and kettledrums. Findings of bronze objects from this period are numerous in Indonesia. Even people in the eastern side of Indonesia, that had not shown any signs of contact with Hinduism coming from the Indian subcontinent, had developed sophisticate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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