It was, however, most important that his dress should possess some distinguishing feature, and that that feature should be one of very marked prominency.

In an absolute monarchy the king must be unmistakable, at almost any distance, and almost in any light.
Consequences of the gravest kind may follow from any mistake of the royal identity; and it is therefore essential to the comfort both of prince and subject that some very conspicuous badge shall mark and notify the monarch's presence.

Accordingly, it appears that the Persian ruler was to be known by his headdress, which was peculiar alike in shape and in color, and was calculated to catch the eye in both respects.

It bore the name _kitaris_ or _hidaris_, and was a tall stiff cap, slightly swelling as it ascended, flat at top, and terminating in a ring or circle which projected beyond the lines of the sides.

Round it, probably near the bottom, was worn a fillet or band--the diadem proper--which was blue, spotted with white.
As the other Persians wore either simple fillets round their heads, or soft, rounded, and comparatively low caps, with no band round them, the king's headdress, which would tower above theirs and attract attention by its color, could readily be distinguished even in the most crowded Court.
It has been asserted that the _kidaris_, or tiara of the Persian kings, was "commonly adorned with gold and jewelry;" and this may possibly have been the case, but there is no evidence that it was so.