A
tiara (from Latin 'tiara') is a high
crown, often with the shape of a cylinder narrowed at its top, made of fabric or leather, and richly ornamented. It was used by the
kings and
emperors of some ancient peoples in
Mesopotamia. The
Assyrians[?] used to include a pair of bull horns as a decoration and symbol of authority and a circle of short feathers surrounding the tiara's top. The
Persian tiara was more similar to a truncated cone, without the horns and feathers but more jewels, and a conic-shaped tip at its top. In
Catholicism tiara is a high cap surrounded by three crowns and bearing a globe surmounted by a cross worn by the
Pope during certain ceremonies, being the symbol if his authority.
Tiara is also a band, often metal-made, and decorated with jewels, worn by women around their head or on the forehead. See also
diadem.