It is fascinating how the crown is a universal symbol of authority and power, almost all cultures had coronation ceremonies despite some of them never having had contact with the rest of the world.

AlmightySnoo ๐Ÿข๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ@lemmy.world to Showerthoughts@lemmy.world – 185 points –
37

You are viewing a single comment

They never had contact ? Like when ? People travelling most of the globe way before British figured out basic stuff.

Ancient sumeria, Egypt, Assyrians and Indians had concepts like crowns. Also if a civilization did something cool, others usually copied it under 200 years.

Not a historian, so grain of salt.

Like the Aztecs? I believe the Spanish went there first and that was in 1519. But again I don't have good knowledge of history so I'm probably wrong here.

5 seconds of Googling shows that the Aztec and Inca both had ceremonial headdress/crown for the ultimate ruler. 5 seconds of Googling about the Maya and the Seneca did not turn up anything.

Thorstein Veblen (19th century sociologist) would probably explain the crown/headdress prevalence around the world as a form of conspicuous consumption (he coined the term). The ruler wears a ridiculous and impractical headdress that โ€œwastedโ€ hours and hours of labor to show his dominance, wealth, prestige and ability to waste (and coerce). Iโ€™m not a sociologist but I have read his Theory of the Leisure Class and it fits very cleanly in his theory.

Now why a crown and not a breastplate, eg? No idea. Maybe itโ€™s simply the most conspicuous and ridiculous thing one can wear that serves absolutely no practical purpose (whereas a breast plate could be useful in war)