Corona civica
The corona civica (German: civic crown ) was one of the highest military awards in the Roman Empire .
The corona civica in the Roman Empire
It consisted of a wreath of oak leaves (quercea) and was given to those who, as Roman citizens (civis), saved the life of a fellow citizen in battle, killed the enemy, took their armor and could hold the place of the person saved. It was handed over by the rescued man himself. In the early Republican period it was made from the leaves of the holm oak (Quercus ilex) , but in the course of time it was increasingly tied from branches of the English oak (Quercus pendunculata) .
The corona civica was associated with special privileges. So the owner sat with the senators at public games and everyone had to get up when he entered.
Gaius Iulius Caesar was awarded the citizen's crown as was Augustus , who was given the crown in 27 BC. A citizen's crown hung over the entrance of his house as a tribute to him. Since then, the citizen's crown has become an insignia of imperial dignity. In order to avoid a resemblance to the Corona Etrusca of Jupiter , the corona civica worn by the emperors was probably not made of solid gold. Instead, the oak leaves were apparently only adorned with gold decorations and jewels (see also Corona triumphalis ).
reception
In later times the citizen's crown was an award given by a city to universities and academies. During the French Revolution , for example, Théroigne de Méricourt was honored with the “ Citizen's Crown” for her special services. In modern heraldry , the term citizen's crown is understood to mean the wall crown .
literature
- Birgit Bergmann: The Emperor's wreath. Genesis and meaning of a Roman insignia. de Gruyter, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-11-020258-8 (not evaluated).
Web links
swell
- Virgil: Aeneid VI, 772
- Pliny: Naturalis historia 16, 3–5
Individual proof
- ↑ Gert Oswald: Lexicon of Heraldry. VEB Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1984.