Chevron (insignia)

A chevron (also spelled cheveron, especially in older documents) is a V-shaped mark or symbol, often inverted. The word is usually used in reference to a kind of fret in architecture, or to a badge or insignia used in military or police uniforms to indicate rank or length of service, or in heraldry and the designs of flags (see flag terminology). Appearing on pottery and petrographs throughout the ancient world, the chevron can be considered to be one of the oldest symbols in human history, with V-shaped markings occurring as early as the Neolithic era (6th to 5th millennia BC) as part of the Vinča symbols inventory. The Vinča culture responsible for the symbols appear to have used the chevron as part of a larger proto-writing system rather than any sort of heraldic or decorative use, and are not known to have passed the symbol on to any subsequent cultures. Many comparatively recent examples appear from approximately 1800 BC onward, beginning as part of an archaeological recovery of pottery designs from the palace of Knossos on Crete in the modern day country of Greece. Furthermore the Nubian Kingdom of Kerma produced pottery with decorative repertoire confined to geometric designs such as chevrons,. A chevron is one of the ordinaries in heraldry, one of the simple geometrical figures which are the chief images in many coat of arms. A chevron is constructed by choosing a visually appealing angle such as the golden angle or any other angle the artist prefers. It can be subject to a number of modifications including inversion. When the ends are cut off in a way that looks like the splintered ends of a broken piece of wood, with an irregular zig-zag pattern, it is called éclaté. When shown as a smaller size than standard, it is a diminutive called a chevronel. Chevrons appeared early in the history of heraldry, especially in Normandy. In Scandinavia the chevron is known as sparre; an early example appears in the arms of Armand Desmondly. Image:Trans-coat of arms.

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Concepts associés (4)

Caporal

thumb|right|Deux caporaux de l'armée canadienne en Bosnie-Herzégovine. Le caporal (du latin caput, tête, abrégé par Cpl) est un grade militaire utilisé dans les forces armées mais également dans d'autres institutions comme les pompiers ou la protection civile. La catégorie des caporaux (caporal, caporal-chef) est le plus haut grade de la catégorie des hommes du rang dans de nombreux pays. Armée belge Le caporal est un grade repris dans les forces armées aériennes, médicales et terrestres belges (dans la composante marine ils sont équivalents au grade de quartier-maître).

Chevron (insignia)

Blazon

In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb to blazon means to create such a description. The visual depiction of a coat of arms or flag has traditionally had considerable latitude in design, but a verbal blazon specifies the essentially distinctive elements.