Stephane (headdress)

For the town of ancient Paphlagonia, see Stephane (Paphlagonia).
Bust of an empress, possibly Vibia Sabina, wearing a stephane, c. AD 134–147

A stephane (ancient Greek στέφανος, from στέφω (stéphō, “I encircle”), Lat. Stephanus = wreath, decorative wreath worn on the head; crown) was a decorative headband or circlet made of metal, often seen on depictions of high-status ancient Roman and Greek women,[1][2][3] as well as goddesses.[4] The stephane often consisted of a metal arc that was higher in the center than along the sides. It was set atop a woman's hair, with or without a veil.[1] It resembled a crown.

Many ancient Greek and Roman coins show a queen's portrait on the obverse, with her wearing a veil with a stephane.

  1. ^ a b Cox, John K. (2006-01-01). "What's behind the veil? The Ottoman fiction of Ismail Kadare". Indiana Slavic Studies. 16: 47–73.
  2. ^ Török, László (1995). Hellenistic and Roman Terracottas from Egypt. L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER. ISBN 978-88-7062-909-5.
  3. ^ Hamelink, A (2014). Symbol or jewellery? The stephane and its werarer in the Roman world (Thesis). Leiden: University of Leiden.
  4. ^ Eilberg-Schwartz, Howard; Doniger, Wendy (1995-11-14). Off with Her Head!: The Denial of Women's Identity in Myth, Religion, and Culture. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-08840-5.