Throne

A throne is the chair upon which a monarch is seated.

Thrones in general

Thrones have been the symbol of kings and gods since the dawn of human civilization. The throne was used for coronation ceremonies and were used to lift the king up above all people present. Thrones were since then directly associated with royal power and are still used in phrases as "to ascend the throne" and "to be seated upon the throne"

Thrones in ancient cultures and religions

The Greeks (as learned from the works of Homerus) were known to place additional (empty) thrones in the royal palaces and temples so that the gods could be present when they wished to be. The most famous of these thrones was the throne of Apollo in Amyclae. The Greek thrones were influenced by eastern civilizations since contact between the Greeks and these civilizations were made around the 7th century BC.

The Romans also had two thrones. One for the Emperor and one for the goddess Rome whose statues were seated upon thrones (which became centers of worship).

The Hittites even considered thrones to be gods themselves!

An order of angels called thrones is included in some Christian beliefs about the classification of angels.

Thrones and the Bible

The Bible mentions a lot of thrones. God was seated upon a throne and so was King Solomon (as Gods representative on earth): "Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold" (Kings 10:18) In Medieval times the throne of Solomon was associated with Mary (Ivory means purity, Gold means divinity and the six steps of the throne were the six virtues) Jesus promised his Apostles that they would sit upon "twelve thrones", judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). Johnss Revelations states: "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away"

ecclasiastical thrones

The throne upon which the Pope is seated is known as the Holy See of Saint Peter (cathedra Sancti Petri). Also bishops and abbots are seated upon thrones.

Famous thrones

• The afore-mentioned throne of Solomon.
• The throne of Apollo in Amyclae.
• St Edward's Throne in Westminster Abbey,London upon which the British monarchs have been crowned (since Edward the Confessor,hence the name)
• The Stone of Scone or the Stone of Destiny upon which the Kings of Scotland were crowned. From 1296 when Edward I took the Stone with him from Scotland until 1996 the Stone was part of the afore-mentioned St Edward's Throne. The Stone was returned to Edinburgh Castle (The Stone was robbed in 1950 and later retrieved)
• The Peacock Throne of the Persian Shahs.
• The golden throne of the Ashanti
• The throne of Charlemagne in the dome of Aachen,Germany.