Sceptre
A sceptre (or scepter in American English) is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia, signifying sovereign authority.
Antiquity
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
The
The sceptre also assumed a central role in the Mesopotamian world, and was in most cases part of the royal insignia of sovereigns and gods. This continued throughout Mesopotamian history, as illustrated in literary and administrative texts and iconography. The Mesopotamian sceptre was mostly called ĝidru in Sumerian and ḫaṭṭum in Akkadian.[1]
The Biblical Book of Genesis refers to the sceptre of Judah.
“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”
— Genesis 49:10 KJV[2]
In the
"When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther came near, and touched the top of the scepter."
— Esther 5:2
Greco-Roman world
Among the early
Among the Etruscans, sceptres of great magnificence were used by kings and high priests. Many representations of such sceptres occur on the walls of the painted tombs of Etruria. The British Museum, the Vatican, and the Louvre possess Etruscan sceptres of gold, elaborately and minutely ornamented.
The Roman sceptre probably derived from the Etruscan. Under the
Under the
India
The codes of the just and the cruel sceptre are found in the ancient
One such sceptre was presented to Jawarhal Nehru on 14 August 1947 by the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam symbolising the transfer of power as followed by Ancient Hindu Kings.
Christendom
With the advent of Christianity, the sceptre was often tipped with a cross instead of with an eagle. However, during the Middle Ages, the finials on the top of the sceptre varied considerably.[citation needed]
In
Sceptres with small shrines on the top are sometimes represented on royal seals, as on the great seal of
The earliest English coronation form of the 9th century mentions a sceptre (sceptrum), and a staff (baculum). In the so-called coronation form of
For the coronation of Charles II of England, new sceptres with the Cross and the Dove were made, and though slightly altered, they are still in use today. Two sceptres for the queen consort, one with a cross, and the other with a dove, have been subsequently added.[citation needed]
The flags of Moldova and Montenegro have sceptres on them, clasped by eagles.
See also
References
- ISBN 978-88-94926-03-3.
- ^ Genesis 49:10
- ^ Tirukkuṛaḷ verses 541–560
- ISBN 8120600223.
- ^ "What is Sengol, symbol of Chola legacy set to stand tall in India's new parliament?". WION. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ISBN 978-01-44000-09-8.
- ^ "What is Sengol, symbol of Chola legacy set to stand tall in India's new parliament?". WION. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
- ^ [1] Sengol belittled
- ^ [2] Hindu-Museum failed to label correctly
- ^ "Sengol a transfer of power".
- ^ "Congress says 'Sengol' not power transfer symbol, BJP alleges insult to culture". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sceptre". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 309. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the