2026-10-26
Byzantine emperor
Draped in the loros, the long jeweled sash of the court. Emperors were literally 'born in the purple' — in a room lined with it.
2026-10-25
Mansa Musa, emperor of Mali
From the 1375 Catalan Atlas, gold crown and gold nugget in hand. On his 1324 hajj he gave away so much gold in Cairo that he crashed the price of gold there for years.
2026-10-24
Egyptian pharaoh
Pharaohs wore the nemes headdress with the uraeus cobra at the brow, a broad collar, and the ankh — the symbol of life.