A flabellum (plural: flabella) is a ceremonial fan. Widely used across the Near Eastern and Mediterranean worlds already by the second millennium BCE, it is attested in numerous artistic and textual depictions and through surviving examples. The fan typically consisted of a head with an elongated flange at its base, which then was set in a long shaft. Whereas the shaft was typically wood, the head was covered with metal foil or made of solid metal. Heads could be richly ornamented with bands of friezes in silver or gold, with gilding, etched or embossed scenes, and inlaid precious stones. Flabella […]
