A little wonder, every day

Laurel signified victory in Rome

Laurus nobilis у парку Ретіро, Мадрид; сучасне фото рослини, не збережений римський вінок / Laurus nobilis in Retiro Park, Madrid; a modern plant photograph, not a surviving Roman wreath. Credit: Adrián Pablo Rodríguez Quiroga; CC0. http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=37921280

Реституційний денарій із лавровим портретом Августа, карбований за Траяна або Адріана близько 98–138 н. е.; не прижиттєва фотографія чи вінок із листя / Restitution denarius with a laureate portrait of Augustus, struck under Trajan or Hadrian circa 98–138 CE; an ancient coin, not a photograph of a living emperor or a leaf wreath. Credit: CNG; CC BY-SA 2.5. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=148457456

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Laurus nobilis у парку Ретіро, Мадрид; сучасне фото рослини, не збережений римський вінок / Laurus nobilis in Retiro Park, Madrid; a modern plant photograph, not a surviving Roman wreath. Credit: Adrián Pablo Rodríguez Quiroga; CC0. http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=37921280

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In ancient Roman culture, laurel signified victory and triumph. Laurel wreaths and branches appeared in ceremonial settings and rulers’ imagery. This is a particular symbolic association, rather than a claim that every ancient award wreath used laurel: other plants and metal imitations of leaves were also used. Meaning depended on period and ceremony.