Tainia vs Diadem

[OldMoney]

What, if anything, is the difference between a tainia and a diadem?

This may seem to be a fairly basic question on the surface, but I think it
may be important to some people to be able to distinguish between the
two on at least a technical basic, where necessary.

Are the terms interchangeable? They both translate to be a band, fillet,
or ribbon, but the terms are often used by the same scholars in the same
references, so there must be some kind of perceived difference.
I just don't know exactly what that is! Can you help?

Walter

[Mark Fox]

Dear Walter,

I am about ready for bed here, having just done a little research which seems to support my opinion on the matter, especially this informational snippet:

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/numiswiki/view.asp?key=tainia

Therefore I would say a taenia, in the numismatic sense, is made of cloth or a similar fabric while a diadem is generally considered to be a metallic object, often jeweled.

Hope this helps!

   
Best regards,

Mark Fox
Michigan

[Joe Sermarini]

I just changed the NumisWiki page to read:

A taenia is a fillet, a cloth ribbon headband.  An ornament for the head, which the figure of Victory on coins often holds in her hand. This headband, the attribute of heroes, became the coronal and diadem of a later period.