A skull and crossbones is a
symbol consisting of a
human skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...
and two
long bones crossed together under or behind the skull.
The design originated in the
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...
as a symbol of
death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
and especially as a ''
memento mori'' on tombstones.
In modern contexts, it is generally used as a
hazard symbol
Hazard symbols or warning symbols are recognisable symbols designed to warn about hazardous or dangerous materials, locations, or objects, including electric currents, poisons, and radioactivity. The use of hazard symbols is often regulated ...
that warns of danger, usually in regard to
poisonous substances, such as deadly chemicals.
It is also associated with
piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
and
software piracy, due to its historical use in some
Jolly Roger flags.
Military use
The skull and bones are often used in military insignia, such as the
coats of arms of
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
s.
Symbol for poisonous substances
The skull and crossbones has long been a standard symbol for
poison.
In 1829,
New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
required the labeling of all containers of poisonous substances. The skull and crossbones symbol appears to have been used for that purpose since the 1850s. Previously a variety of motifs had been used, including the
Danish "+ + +" and drawings of
skeletons.
In the 1870s poison manufacturers around the world began using bright
cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, p ...
bottles with a variety of raised bumps and designs (to enable easy recognition in the dark) to indicate poison,
but by the 1880s the skull and cross bones had become ubiquitous, and the brightly coloured bottles lost their association.
In the United States, due to concerns that the skull-and-crossbones symbol's association with pirates might encourage children to play with toxic materials, the
Mr. Yuk
Mr. Yuk is a trademarked graphic image, created by UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and widely employed in the United States in labeling of substances that are poisonous if ingested.
Objective
To help children learn to avoid ingesting poi ...
symbol is also used to denote poison but in 2001, the American Association of Poison Control Center voted to continue to require the skull and crossbones symbol.
Gallery
Skeletal Arrangements, Sedlec Ossuary (6282842433).jpg, A skull and crossbone arrangement in the Sedlec Ossuary
The Sedlec Ossuary ( cs, Kostnice v Sedlci; german: Sedletz-Beinhaus) is a Roman Catholic chapel, located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints (Czech: ), part of the former Sedlec Abbey in Sedlec, a suburb of Kutná Hora in the Czech Repub ...
, Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
.
Coat of Arms of the 8th Light Armoured Cavalry Regiment Lusitania.svg, Skull and crossbones as a charge in heraldry on the coat of the 8th Lusitania Cavalry Regiment
1607-35 Pesttafel Augsburg anagoria.JPG, An early 17th-century "plague panel" from Augsburg
Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ...
Danger High Voltage - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.jpg, High voltage sign from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
BEST DANGER 415 Volts Mumbai.jpg, Skull and crossbones on a sign warning of high voltage
High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...
in Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
, India
Warning sign! (9156768909).jpg, Skull and crossbones sign mounted on a power box
A power box (USA) or feeder pillar (UK) is a cabinet for electrical equipment, mounted in the street and controlling the electrical supply to a number of houses in a neighborhood. A power box is simply a layman's term for a transformer, cutout ...
in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
Jolly_Roger.svg, A typical Jolly Roger ensign
See also
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References
External links
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{{Pirates
Cross symbols
Warning systems
Heraldic charges
Personifications of death
Pictograms
Visual motifs