Toupha
The Toupha (Gr .: τοῦφα; also Touphion (τουφίον)) is actually a tuft of the hair or feathers of exotic animals on a rider's helmet or imperial diadem, in a broader sense the term also describes the entire headdress decorated with a toupha. The imperial toupha was only worn on certain occasions, such as a triumphal procession.
One of the most famous representations was on the now lost equestrian statue of Justinian on the Justinian column at the Augusteion in Constantinople , which is known from a drawing from the 15th century. In the 9th century the heavy headdress fell from the statue and had to be reattached by an acrobat using a rope stretched from the roof of Hagia Sophia to the column's capital . Emperor Theophilus rewarded the acrobat with 100 nomismata , a Byzantine gold coin.
Later the term Toupha or Typha was used synonymously with Tiara . In the 12th century the verb is typhoomai at John Zonaras in meaning to be extremely arrogant .
See also
literature
- Alexander P. Kazhdan et al. (Ed.): Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium . Volume 3: Nike - Zygo. Oxford University Press, New York NY 1991, ISBN 0-19-504652-8 , p. 2100.
