Wreaths and crowns of leaves or gold

Exploring the rooms of an archaeological museum, one inevitably comes across a concentration of gold and silver jewelry. Among them, the gold crowns with their quivering leaves call for our attention. 

The gold wreaths and crowns originated in ancient times when leaves and flowers were commonly used to mark festive occasions like processions or special dinners. Golden crowns were the privilege reserved for honors on behalf of the community or as funerary reverence. 

Wreaths of leaves were recognized as prizes for those victorious at competition games, marking a moment of triumph for the athlete. The most famous event was the Olympic Games, where the winner received a crown of olive leaves. Variants are laurel, Apollo’s sacred tree, at Delphi, dried celery at the Isthmian games, and green celery at the Nemean games. 

However, they were also appropriate on many other occasions. Those attending a Symposium would wear wreaths made of roses, violets, or myrtle leaves. Such wreaths appear clearly in Oliver Stone's movie Alexander in the wedding scene of King Philip.

They were also a sign of exceptional merit and military conduct and were worn by orators and priests as they performed their sacrifices. The Maenads and other followers of Dionysus wore wreaths of ivy or vine leaves, and so did the Chorus in ancient Greek theater. 

The ritual of crowning even extended to altars, statues, and temples. Wreaths were also part of funerary practices as the deceased would be crowned; the urns containing their ashes had a wreath, or the wreath was placed inside the tomb. 

Many such examples made in gold have reached us and found their way to the museums. For instance, the crown of oak leaves and acorns discovered in the tomb of King Philip in Aegae and the silver funerary urn from an unspecified Macedonian tomb are at the Museum of Vergina. 

However, most of the finds are on display at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (see: Exploring the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki). The wreaths come, for instance, from Cassandreia, Apollonia, Sedes, Aenea, and the greater area around Thessaloniki and ancient Aegae. These precious grave goods may be the legacy of Alexander’s conquests and the wealth Macedonia amassed in his wake. 

It is a pure pleasure to wander through the museum’s rich collections to find, for instance, two myrtle wreaths, one splendidly executed with colored flowers, and another funerary one with bronze gilt leaves and clay gilt fruit (Aenea) from 350-325 BC. Two olive crowns, one from Tomb A and another very elaborated one with the knot of Heracles from Cassandreia (3rd century BC). The gold ivy wreath was found in Apollonia and dated 350-325 BC. The gold oak crown, very typical for the Macedonian court, was also unearthed in Cassandreia and carried the fascinating knot of Heracles as well. 

Although Athens holds far fewer examples, they may be kept in their reserves. The National Archaeological Museum exhibits a myrtle wreath with berries from the 4th century BC. The lesser-known Benaki Museum displays an oak leaves crown from the late 2nd/early 1st century BC found in Alexandria and another crown with gold ivy and flowers from Macedonia, 1st century BC. 

Eventually, wreaths appeared on funerary monuments or were painted on their walls. In time, a wreath might be carved on the tomb to mark the site. 

It is noteworthy that wreaths were sacred objects. It was a sacrilege to wear somebody else’s crown without authorization. It was also forbidden to remove a wreath or dispose of it if you were not supposed to touch it. 

Crowns were not a privilege of Greece. Earlier Thracian gold wreaths were found in Bulgaria and are now at the Museum of Sofia. 

A most striking and uncommon crown surfaced at Tillya-Tepe in northern Afghanistan (see: Bactrian Gold, the Hidden Treasures from the Museum of Kabul). The burial site belongs to some steppe people. It has been dated to the first century AD revealing a true mixture of art from the steppes (possibly Scythian art), Greek, Indian, and Chinese art. The princess’ crown is a travel crown with gold spangles and flowers. It can be taken apart as it consists of five separate pieces mounted around a tiny stem holding flattened branches that fit into the band of the crown itself. The spangles are gently shaking as people walk by, so imagine this crown out in the open steppe where the wind can play freely with every tiny detail! A true gem! 

How many more such treasures remain hidden, waiting for us to discover them?

[Picture from Oliver Stone's movie Alexander. The crown from Tillya Tepe is from the Australian]