A ''corolla'' is an ancient

headdress Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, d ...

in the form of a small

circlet A circlet is a piece of headwear that is similar to a diadem or a corolla. The word 'circlet' is also used to refer to the base of a crown or a coronet, with or without a cap. Diadem and circlet are often used interchangeably, and 'open crowns' ...

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

.''Corolla''
at

OED The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...

; retrieved 28 June 2018 Usually it has

ceremonial A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular ...

significance and represents

victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...

or authority.

History

The term corolla and/or corollæ appears in a chapter title in

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

's ''

Naturalis Historia The ''Natural History'' ( la, Naturalis historia) is a work by Pliny the Elder. The largest single work to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day, the ''Natural History'' compiles information gleaned from other ancient authors. ...

'': "Who invented the art of making garlands: When they first received the name of 'corollæ,' and for what reason." In ancient times, chaplets made from branches and twigs of trees were worn by victors in sacred contests: According to Pliny, P. Claudius Pulcher introduced winter chaplets for the time at which flowers and plant matter are not available, made of thin laminæ of horn stained various colors. These winter chaplets were known there as "corollæ" (the diminutive of ''corona'', a crown), a name Pliny says was given them to express the "remarkable delicacy of their texture". Later, these head dresses were made of thin plates of

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

, gilt or

silvered Silvering is the chemical process of coating a non-conductive substrate such as glass with a reflective substance, to produce a mirror. While the metal is often silver, the term is used for the application of any reflective metal. Process Mos ...

, and were called "corollaria", as introduced by Crassus Dives as a way to confer a greater honor when receiving them.

References

{{Headgear Ancient Roman culture Ancient Greek culture Headgear History of clothing (Western fashion) Crowns (headgear)

History

See also

References