Flags, Medals, and Decorations

Abstract

Awards are recognition of a person by superiors, peers, or friends that can take the form of a simple bunch of flowers, a speech, a certificate, a plaque, or a medal. If a medal is awarded, it should be in a style and form which allows the recipient to display it proudly. This practice of recognition began in ancient times—the Greeks called such awards ta falara. The ancient Romans made them in the form of metal discs attached to armor, called phalerae. Hence, the discipline of studying orders of knighthood and merit, and civil and military decorations in general, became “Phaleristics”.