Thepolos crown (pluralpoloi;Greek:πόλος) is a high cylindricalcrown worn by mythological goddesses of theAncient Near East andAnatolia and adopted by theancient Greeks for imaging themother goddessesRhea,Cybele andHera.[1][2]
The word also meant an axis or pivot and is cognate with the English, 'pole'. It was often open at the top with hair cascading down from the sides, or it could be reduced to a ring.[3]
In the classical period, mortal women seem not to have worn poloi, but they are more commonly seen in terracotta statues of women from theMycenaean period, thus the use in statues of goddesses can be seen as a deliberate archaism.[3]
Some poloi seem to have been made by weaving, though it is not clear what material. None have been found in archaeological digs,[3] suggesting that they were not made of metal.
