Asceptre (spelledscepter inAmerican English) is astaff orwand held in the hand by a rulingmonarch as an item ofroyal or imperial insignia, signifyingsovereign authority.
TheWas and other types of staves were signs of authority inAncient Egypt. For this reason they are often described as "sceptres", even if they are full-length staffs. One of the earliest royal sceptres was discovered in the2nd Dynasty tomb ofKhasekhemwy inAbydos. Kings were also known to carry a staff, andPharaohAnedjib is shown onstone vessels carrying a so-calledmks-staff. The staff with the longest history seems[clarification needed] to be theheqa-sceptre (the "shepherd's crook").
The sceptre also assumed a central role in theMesopotamian world, and was in most cases part of the royal insignia of sovereigns and gods. This continued throughoutMesopotamian history, as illustrated in literary and administrative texts and iconography. The Mesopotamian sceptre was mostly calledĝidru inSumerian andḫaṭṭum inAkkadian.[1]
The BiblicalBook of Genesis refers to the sceptre ofJudah.
"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 theFirst Persian Empire, the BiblicalBook of Esther mentions the sceptre of theKing of Persia.
"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
Among the earlyGreeks, the sceptre (Ancient Greek:σκῆπτρον,skeptron, "staff, stick, baton") was a long staff, such asAgamemnon wielded (Iliad, i) or was used by respected elders (Iliad, xviii. 46;Herodotus 1. 196), and came to be used by judges, military leaders, priests, and others in authority. It is represented on painted vases as a long staff tipped with a metal ornament. When the sceptre is borne byZeus orHades, it is headed by a bird. It was this symbol of Zeus, the king of the gods and ruler ofOlympus, that gave their inviolable status to thekerykes, the heralds, who were thus protected by the precursor of moderndiplomatic immunity. When, in theIliad,Agamemnon sendsOdysseus to parley with the leaders of theAchaeans, he lends him his sceptre.
Among theEtruscans, 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. TheBritish Museum, the Vatican, and the Louvre possess Etruscan sceptres of gold, elaborately and minutely ornamented.
The Roman sceptre probably derived from the Etruscan. Under theRepublic, an ivory sceptre (sceptrum eburneum) was a mark ofconsular rank. It was also used by victorious generals who received the title ofimperator, and its use as a symbol of delegated authority tolegates apparently was revived in the marshal'sbaton.
Under theRoman Empire, thesceptrum Augusti was specially used by the emperors, and was often of ivory tipped with a goldeneagle. It is frequently shown on medallions of the later empire, which have on the obverse a half-length figure of theemperor, holding in one hand thesceptrum Augusti, and in the other theorb surmounted by a small figure ofVictory.
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The codes of the just and the cruel sceptre are found in the ancientTamil work ofTirukkural, dated before 5th centuryCE. In its chapters 55 (Sengol) and 56 (Kondungol), the text deals with the just and the cruel sceptre, respectively, furthering the thought on the ethical behaviour of the ruler discussed in many of the preceding and the following chapters.[3][4] The ancient treatise says it was not the king's spear but the just sceptre, known as "Sengol" in Tamil,[5] that bound him to his people—and to the extent that he guarded them, his own good rule would guard him.[6] It was a practice of ancient Indian kingdoms and dynasties, such as theChola kings, to use a symbolic sceptre during coronations.[7]
One such sceptre, theSengol, was presented toJawaharlal Nehru on 14 August 1947 by theThiruvaduthurai Adheenam symbolising the transfer of power as followed by AncientHindu kings.[8] It was displayed in the Allahabad Museum under the then Indian government wrongly marked as 'Golden walking Stick Gifted to Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru'.[9][10] In 2023, thegovernment of India decided to install this gold-plated sceptre in thenewly inaugurated Indian Parliament. The presentation of the Sengol sceptre to the first Indian Prime Minister in 1947 was claimed as a 'symbol of transfer of power from British to India',[11] which has been stirred up debates among few historians, who point to the lack of sources that portray the event as an official event.[12]
With the advent ofChristianity, the sceptre was often tipped with across instead of with an eagle. However, during theMiddle Ages, thefinials on the top of the sceptre varied considerably.[citation needed]
InEngland, from a very early period, two sceptres have been concurrently used, and from the time ofRichard I, they have been distinguished as being tipped with a cross and a dove respectively. In France, the royal sceptre was tipped with afleur de lys, and the other, known as themain de justice, had an open hand of benediction on the top.[citation needed]
Sceptres with small shrines on the top are sometimes represented on royal seals, as on the great seal ofEdward III, where the king, enthroned, bears such a sceptre, but it was an unusual form; and one of the sceptres ofScotland, preserved atEdinburgh, has such a shrine at the top, with little images ofthe Virgin Mary,Saint Andrew, andSaint James the Great in it. This sceptre was, it is believed, made in France around 1536 forJames V. Great seals usually represent the sovereign enthroned, holding a sceptre (often the second in dignity) in the right hand, and the orb and cross in the left.Harold Godwinson appears thus in theBayeux Tapestry.[citation needed]
The earliest English coronation form of the 9th century mentions a sceptre (sceptrum), and a staff (baculum). In the so-called coronation form ofÆthelred the Unready, a sceptre (sceptrum), and a rod (virga) appear, as they do also in the case of a coronation order of the 12th century. In a contemporary account ofRichard I'scoronation, theroyal sceptre of gold with a gold cross (sceptrum), and thegold rod with a gold dove on the top (virga), enter the historical record for the first time. About 1450, Sporley, a monk ofWestminster, compiled a list of the relics there. These included the articles used at the coronation of SaintEdward the Confessor, and left by him for the coronations of his successors. A golden sceptre, a wooden rod gilt, and an iron rod are named. These survived until theCommonwealth, and are minutely described in an inventory of theregalia drawn up in 1649, when everything was destroyed.[citation needed]
For the coronation ofCharles 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 thequeen consort, one with a cross, and the other with a dove, have been subsequently added.[citation needed]
The flags ofMoldova andMontenegro have sceptres on them, clasped by eagles.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sceptre".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 309.| International | |
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