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Key Facts |
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41° 54' N, 12° 30′ E |
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Background |
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The Hat/Cap of Attis is a soft, red, conical cap with the top pulled forward, worn in antiquity by the followers of Attis. As the centre of his cult was Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia, the cap of Attis also developed the popular name of the "Phrygian Cap". |
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Contrary to many of the myths and legends that have risen in subsequent centuries, the Phrygian cap (Latin, pileus) was purely ceremonial and worn at major festivals such as the Saturnalia. |
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In Asia Minor during the 1st Century BCE, the cap however developed the additionaly and totally unrelated symbolism of both "foreigner" and "liberty", firstly on account of its use by rivals of Rome such as the Parthians and secondly on account of its use as a political symbol by Roman nobles supporting the Republic and Roman Senate. |
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| During the American Revolutionary War and then during the French Revolution, the cap became synonymous with the notion of Liberty- in complete opposite to the original ceremonial and religious function of the head dress for the past 2,000 years. |
The cap was especially adopted during the French Revolution: to this day the national emblem of France, Marianne, is shown wearing a Phrygian cap. The bonnet rouge made its appearance early in the Revolution, first seen publicly in May 1790, both at a festival at Troyes, adorning a statue representing the nation, and at Lyon, on a lance carried by the goddess Liberty (Cybele reincarnated).
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Many of the anti-colonial revolutions in North and South America were heavily inspired by the imagery and slogans of the American and French Revolutions.
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| As a result, the cap has appeared on the coats of arms of many Latin American nations. An effigy of "Liberty" was shown holding the Liberty Pole and Phrygian cap on some early United States of America coinage. |
| The U.S. Army has, since 1778, utilized a "War Office Seal" in which the motto "This We'll Defend" is displayed directly over a Phrygian cap on an upturned sword. It also appears on the State flag of West Virginia, New Jersey and New York, as well as the official seal of the United States Senate, the arms of the North Carolina Senate, and on the reverse side of the Seal of Virginia. |
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In spite of its popular belief as a symbolf for freedom and liberty, the Phrygian Cap remains a potent and powerful pagan symbol associated with sacrifice and control. |
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