Unknown Coin
From the year 1328

I bought this coin as part of a Box of Coins from a Flea Market
 
I don't know a lot about it
 
It has a six pointed star like the Jewish Symbol the Star of David above a laurel wreath with some symbols that look like Arabic on the back

It has the number 1328 on the back with symbols, 
It could be Greek or Roman
 
All I know it is very old 
 
Would make an Excellent Gift or Collectable Keepsake

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Coins are pieces of hard material used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by a government.
Coins are usually metal or alloy metal, or sometimes made of synthetic materials. They are usually disc shaped. Coins made of valuable metal are stored in large quantities as bullion coins. Other coins are used as money in everyday transactions, circulating alongside banknotes: these coins are usually worth less than banknotes: usually the highest value coin in circulation (i.e. excluding bullion coins) is worth less than the lowest-value note. In the last hundred years, the face value of circulation coins has occasionally been lower than the value of the metal they contain, for example due to inflation. If the difference becomes significant, the issuing authority may decide to withdraw these coins from circulation, or the general public may decide to melt the coins down or hoard them (see Gresham's law).
Exceptions to the rule of face value being higher than content value also occur for some bullion coins made of silver or gold (and, rarely, other metals, such as platinum or palladium), intended for collectors or investors in precious metals. Examples of modern gold collector/investor coins include the British sovereign minted by the United Kingdom, the American Gold Eagle minted by the United States, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf minted by Canada, and the Krugerrand, minted by South Africa. The American Gold Eagle has a face value of US$50, and the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins also have nominal (purely symbolic) face values (e.g. C$50 for 1 oz.); but the Krugerrand does not.
Historically, a great quantity of coinage metals (including alloys) and other materials (e.g. porcelain) have been used to produce coins for circulation, collection, and metal investment: bullion coins often serve as more convenient stores of assured metal quantity and purity than other bullion.[1]
Today, the term coin can also be used in reference to digital currencies which are not issued by a state. As of 2013, examples include BitCoin and LiteCoin, among others.
As coins have long been used as money, in some languages the same word is used for "coin" and "currency".

Numismatics
Claudius II coin (colourised).png
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The first coins were developed independently in Iron Age Anatolia and Archaic Greece, India & China around 600-700 BC. Coins spread rapidly in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, throughout Greece and Persia, and further to the Balkans.[2]
Standardized Roman currency was used throughout the Roman Empire. Important Roman gold and silver coins were continued into the Middle Ages (see Gold dinar, Solidus, Aureus, Denarius). Ancient and early medieval coins in theory had the value of their metal content, although there have been many instances throughout history of the metal content of coins being debased, so that the inferior coins were worth less in metal than their face value. Fiat money first arose in medieval China, with the jiaozi paper money. Early paper money was introduced in Europe in the later Middle Ages, but some coins continued to have the value of the gold or silver they contained throughout the Early Modern period. The penny was mint (coin)ed as a silver coin until the 17th century. The first copper pennies were minted in the United States in the 1790s.[3][citation needed] Silver content was reduced in many coins in the 19th century (use of billon), and the first coins made entirely of base metal (e.g. nickel, cupronickel, aluminium bronze), representing values higher than the value of their metal, were minted in the mid 19th century.
Bronze Age predecessors[edit]

 

 An Oxhide ingot from Crete. Late Bronze Age metal ingots were given standard shapes, such as the shape of an "ox-hide", suggesting that they represented standardized values.
Coins were an evolution of "currency" systems of the Late Bronze Age, where standard-sized ingots, and tokens such as knife money, were used to store and transfer value. In the late Chinese Bronze Age, standardized cast tokens were made, such as those discovered in a tomb near Anyang.[4][5] These were replicas in bronze of earlier Chinese money, cowrie shells, so they were named Bronze Shell.[6][7][8] These, as well as later Chinese bronzes, were replicas of knives, spades, and hoes, but not "coins" in the narrow sense, as they did not carry a mark or marks certifying them to be of a definite exchange value.[9]
Iron Age[edit]
Further information: Archaic period of ancient Greek coinage

 

 1/3rd stater from Lydia, 6th century BC.
 

Electrum coin from Ephesus, 620-600 BC. Obverse: Forepart of stag. Reverse: Square incuse punch.
 

 Anatolian gold coin from 4th century BC Mysia.
 

 Greek drachma of Aegina. Obverse: Land Chelone / Reverse: ΑΙΓ(INA) and dolphin. The oldest Aegina Chelone coins depicted sea turtles and were minted ca. 700 BC.[10]
The earliest coins are mostly associated with Iron Age Anatolia, especially with the kingdom of Lydia.[11] Early electrum coins were not standardized in weight, and in their earliest stage may have been ritual objects, such as badges or medals, issued by priests.[12] Many early Lydian and Greek coins were minted under the authority of private individuals and are thus more akin to tokens or badges than to modern coins,[13] though due to their numbers it is evident that some were official state issues, with King Alyattes of Lydia being a frequently mentioned originator of coinage.[14]
The first Lydian coins were made of electrum, a naturally occurring alloy of silver and gold that was further alloyed with added silver and copper.[15] Most of the early Lydian coins include no writing ("legend" or "inscription"), only an image of a symbolic animal. Therefore the dating of these coins relies primarily on archaeological evidence, with the most commonly cited evidence coming from excavations at the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, also called the Ephesian Artemision (which would later evolve into one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World). Because the oldest lion head "coins" were discovered in that temple, and they do not appear to have been used in commerce, these objects may not have been coins but badges or medals issued by the priests of that temple. Anatolian Artemis was the Πὀτνια Θηρῶν (Potnia Thêrôn, "Mistress of Animals"), whose symbol was the stag.
A small percentage of early Lydian/Greek coins have a legend.[16] A famous early electrum coin, the most ancient inscribed coin at present known, is from nearby Caria. This coin has a Greek legend reading phaenos emi sema [17] interpreted variously as "I am the badge of Phanes", or "I am the sign of light",[18] or "I am the tomb of light", or "I am the tomb of Phanes". The coins of Phanes are known to be amongst the earliest of Greek coins, a hemihekte of the issue was found in the foundation deposit of the temple of Artemis at Ephesos (the oldest deposit of electrum coins discovered). One assumption is that Phanes was a wealthy merchant, another that this coin is associated with Apollo-Phanes and, due to the Deer, with Artemis (twin sister of the god of light Apollo-Phaneos). Although only seven Phanes type coins were discovered, it is also notable that 20% of all early electrum coins also have the lion of Artemis and the sun burst of Apollo-Phaneos. Alternatively, Phanes may have been the Halicarnassian mercenary of Amasis mentioned by Herodotus, who escaped to the court of Cambyses, and became his guide in the invasion of Egypt in 527 or 525 BC. According to Herodotus, this Phanes was buried alive by a sandstorm, together with 50,000 Persian soldiers, while trying to conquer the temple of Amun–Zeus in Egypt.[19] The fact that the Greek word "Phanes" also means light (or lamp), and the word "sema" also means tomb makes this coin a famous and controversial one.[20]
Another candidate for the site of the earliest coins is Aegina, where Chelone ("turtle") coins were first minted on 700 BC,[21] either by the local Aegina people or by Pheidon king of Argos (who first set the standards of weights and measures). In the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, there is a unique electrum stater of Aegina.[10][22][unreliable source?]
Coins from Athens and Corinth appeared shortly thereafter, known to exist at least since the late 6th century BC.[23]
Classical Antiquity[edit]
Further information: Ancient Greek coinage, Achaemenid coinage, Illyrian coinage, Roman currency, Coinage of India, Aureus, Solidus (coin), Denarius, and Antoninianus

 

 Set of three roman aurei depicting the rulers of the Flavian dynasty. Top to bottom: Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. 69-96 AD.
Coinage followed Greek colonization and influence first around the Mediterranean and soon after to North Africa (including Egypt), Syria, Persia, and the Balkans.[24]
Coins were minted in the Achaemenid Empire, including the gold darics and silver sigloi. and with the Achemenid conquest of Gandhara under Darius the Great ca. 520 BC, the practice spread to the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The coins of this period were called Puranas, Karshapanas or Pana.[25] These earliest Indian coins, however, are unlike those circulated in Persia, which were derived from the Greek/Anatolian type; they not disk-shaped but rather stamped bars of metal, suggesting that the innovation of stamped currency was added to a pre-existing form of token currency which had already been present in the Mahajanapada kingdoms of the Indian Iron Age. Mahajanapadas that minted their own coins included Gandhara, Kuntala, Kuru, Panchala, Shakya, Surasena and Surashtra.[26]
In China, early round coins appear in the 4th century BC.
The first Roman coins, which were crude, heavy cast bronzes, were issued ca. 289 B
Most coins presently are made of a base metal, and their value comes from their status as fiat money. This means that the value of the coin is decreed by government fiat (law), and thus is determined by the free market only inasmuch as national currencies are used in domestic trade and also traded internationally on foreign exchange markets. Thus these coins are monetary tokens, just as paper currency is: they are usually not backed by metal, but rather by some form of government guarantee. Some have suggested that such coins not be considered to be "true coins" (see below). Thus there is very little economic difference between notes and coins of equivalent face value.
Coins may be in circulation with fiat values lower than the value of their component metals, but they are never initially issued with such value, and the shortfall only arises over time due to inflation, as market values for the metal overtake the fiat declared face value of the coin. Examples are the pre-1965 US dime, quarter, half dollar, and dollar, US nickel, and pre-1982 US penny. As a result of the increase in the value of copper, the United States greatly reduced the amount of copper in each penny. Since mid-1982, United States pennies are made of 97.5% zinc, with the remaining 2.5% being a coating of copper. Extreme differences between fiat values and metal values of coins causes coins to be hoarded or removed from circulation by illicit smelters in order to realise the value of their metal content. This is an example of Gresham's law. The United States Mint, in an attempt to avoid this, implemented new interim rules on December 14, 2006, subject to public comment for 30 days, which criminalized the melting and export of pennies and nickels.[30] Violators can be fined up to $10,000 and/or imprisoned for up to five years.
A coin's value as a collector's item or as an investment generally depends on its condition, specific historical significance, rarity, quality/beauty of the design and general popularity with collectors. If a coin is greatly lacking in all of these, it is unlikely to be worth much. The value of bullion coins is also influenced to some extent by those factors, but is largely based on the value of their gold, silver, or platinum content. Sometimes non-monetized bullion coins such as the Canadian Maple Leaf and the American Gold Eagle are minted with nominal face values less than the value of the metal in them, but as such coins are never intended for circulation, these face values have no relevance.
Coins can be used as creative medium of expression – from fine art sculpture to the penny machines that can be found in most amusement parks. In the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) in the United States there are some regulations specific to nickels and pennies that are informative on this topic. 31 CFR § 82.1 forbids unauthorized persons from exporting, melting, or treating any 5 or 1 cent coins.
This has been a particular problem with nickels and dimes (and with some comparable coins in other currencies) because of their relatively low face value and unstable commodity prices. For a while the copper in US pennies was worth more than one cent, so people would hoard pennies then melt them down for their metal value. It costs more than face value to manufacture pennies or nickels, so any widespread loss of the coins in circulation could be expensive for the Treasury. This was more of a problem when coins were still made of precious metals like silver and gold, so historically strict laws against alteration make more sense.
31 CFR § 82.2 goes on to state that: "(b) The prohibition contained in § 82.1 against the treatment of 5-cent coins and one-cent coins shall not apply to the treatment of these coins for educational, amusement, novelty, jewelry, and similar purposes as long as the volumes treated and the nature of the treatment makes it clear that such treatment is not intended as a means by which to profit solely from the value of the metal content of the coins."
Ancient Rome was an Italic civilization that began on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to become one of the largest empires in the ancient world[1] with an estimated 50 to 90 million inhabitants (roughly 20% of the world's population[2][3][4]) and covering 6.5 million square kilometers (2.5 million sq mi) during its height between the first and second centuries AD.[5][6][7]
In its approximately 12 centuries of existence, Roman civilization shifted from a monarchy to a classical republic to an increasingly autocratic empire. Through conquest and assimilation, it came to dominate Southern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Minor, North Africa, parts of Northern Europe, and parts of Eastern Europe. Rome was preponderant throughout the Mediterranean region and was one of the most powerful entities of the ancient world. It is often grouped into "Classical Antiquity" together with ancient Greece, and their similar cultures and societies are known as the Greco-Roman world.
The Romans are still remembered today, including names such as Julius Caesar, Cicero, and Augustus. Ancient Roman society contributed greatly to government, law, politics, engineering, art, literature, architecture, technology, warfare, religion, language, society and more in the Western world. A civilization highly developed for its time, Rome professionalized and greatly expanded its military and created a system of government called res publica, the inspiration for modern republics[8][9][10] such as the United States and France. It achieved impressive technological and architectural feats, such as the construction of an extensive system of aqueducts and roads, as well as large monuments, palaces, and public facilities.
By the end of the Republic, Rome had conquered the lands around the Mediterranean and beyond: its domain extended from the Atlantic to Arabia and from the mouth of the Rhine to North Africa. The Roman Empire emerged under the leadership of Augustus Caesar. Under Trajan, the Empire reached its territorial peak. Republican mores and traditions started to decline during the imperial period, with civil wars becoming a common ritual for a new emperor's rise.[11][12][13] States, such as Palmyra, temporarily divided the Empire in a third-century crisis. Soldier emperors reunified it, by dividing the empire between Western and Eastern halves.
Plagued by internal instability and attacked by various migrating peoples, the western part of the empire broke up into independent kingdoms in the 5th century. This splintering is a landmark historians use to divide the ancient period of universal history from the pre-mediaeval "Dark Ages" of Europe.
The Eastern Roman Empire survived this crisis and was governed from Constantinople after the division of the Empire. It comprised Greece, the Balkans, Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt. Despite the later loss of Syria and Egypt to the Arab-Islamic Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire continued for another millennium, until its remnants were annexed by the emerging Turkish Ottoman Empire. This eastern, Christian, medieval stage of the Empire is usually called the Byzantine Empire by historians.
 

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Star of David

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This article is about the hexagram as a Jewish symbol. For other uses, see Hexagram.
"Jewish Star" redirects here. For other uses, see The Jewish Star (disambiguation).
"Magen David" redirects here. For the halakhic commentator, see David HaLevi Segal.

The Star of David as depicted on the flag of Israel.
The Star of David (Hebrew: מָגֵן דָּוִד, romanized: Magen David, lit. 'Shield of David')[a] is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism.[1] Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles.

A derivation of the seal of Solomon, which was used for decorative and mystical purposes by Muslims and Kabbalistic Jews, its adoption as a distinctive symbol for the Jewish people and their religion dates back to 17th-century Prague.[2] In the 19th century, the symbol began to be widely used among the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, ultimately coming to be used to represent Jewish identity or religious beliefs.[2][3] It became representative of Zionism after it was chosen as the central symbol for a Jewish national flag at the First Zionist Congress in 1897.[4]

By the end of World War I, it had become an internationally accepted symbol for the Jewish people, being used on the gravestones of fallen Jewish soldiers.[5]

Today, the star is used as the central symbol on the national flag of the State of Israel.

Roots
Unlike the menorah,[2] the Lion of Judah, the shofar and the lulav, the hexagram was not originally a uniquely Jewish symbol.[6] The hexagram, being an inherently simple geometric construction, has been used in various motifs throughout human history, which were not exclusively religious. It appeared as a decorative motif in both 4th-century synagogues and Christian churches in the Galilee region.[7][8]

Gershom Scholem writes that the term "seal of Solomon" was adopted by Jews from Islamic magic literature, while he could not assert with certainty whether the term "shield of David" originated in Islamic or Jewish mysticism.[2] Leonora Leet argues though that not just the terminology, but the esoteric philosophy behind it had pre-Islamic Jewish roots and provides among other arguments the Talmud's mention of the hexagram as being engraved on Solomon's seal ring.[9] She also shows that Jewish alchemists were the teachers of their Muslim and Christian counterparts, and that a way-opener such as Maria Hebraea of Alexandria (2nd or 3rd century CE; others date her earlier) already used concepts which were later adopted by Muslim and Christian alchemists and could be graphically associated with the symbolism of the upper and lower triangles constituting the hexagram, which came into explicit use after her time.[9] The hexagram however only becomes widespread in Jewish magical texts and amulets (segulot) in the early Middle Ages, which is why most modern authors have seen Islamic mysticism as the source of the medieval Spanish Kabbalists' use of the hexagram.[9][10] The name "Star of David" originates from King David of ancient Israel.

Use as Jewish emblem
Only around one millennium later, however, the star would begin to be used as a symbol to identify Jewish communities, a tradition that seems to have started in Prague before the 17th century, and from there spread to much of Eastern Europe.[2][11]

In the 19th century, it came to be adopted by European Jews as a symbol to represent Jewish religion or identity in the same manner the Christian cross identified that religion's believers.[2][12] The symbol became representative of the worldwide Zionist community after it was chosen as the central symbol on a flag at the First Zionist Congress in 1897, due to its usage in some Jewish communities and its lack of specifically religious connotations.[3][13] It was not considered an exclusively Jewish symbol until after it began to be used on the gravestones of fallen Jewish soldiers in World War I.[5]

History of Jewish usage
Early use as an ornament

The Star of David in the oldest surviving complete copy of the Masoretic text, the Leningrad Codex, dated 1008.
The hexagram does appear occasionally in Jewish contexts since antiquity, apparently as a decorative motif. For example, in Israel, there is a stone bearing a hexagram from the arch of the 3rd–4th century Khirbet Shura synagogue in the Galilee.[14][15] Originally, the hexagram may have been employed as an architectural ornament on synagogues, as it is, for example, on the cathedrals of Brandenburg and Stendal, and on the Marktkirche at Hanover. A hexagram in this form is found on the ancient synagogue at Capernaum.[14]

The use of the hexagram in a Jewish context as a possibly meaningful symbol may occur as early as the 11th century, in the decoration of the carpet page of the famous Tanakh manuscript, the Leningrad Codex dated 1008. Similarly, the symbol illuminates a medieval Tanakh manuscript dated 1307 belonging to Rabbi Yosef bar Yehuda ben Marvas from Toledo, Spain.[14]

Kabbalistic use

Page of segulot in a medieval Kabbalistic grimoire (Sefer Raziel HaMalakh, 13th century)
A hexagram has been noted on a Jewish tombstone in Taranto, Apulia in Southern Italy, which may date as early as the third century CE.[16][17] The Jews of Apulia were noted for their scholarship in Kabbalah, which has been connected to the use of the Star of David.[18]

Medieval Kabbalistic grimoires show hexagrams among the tables of segulot, but without identifying them as "Shield of David".

In the Renaissance, in the 16th-century Land of Israel, the book Ets Khayim conveys the Kabbalah of Ha-Ari (Rabbi Isaac Luria) who arranges the traditional items on the seder plate for Passover into two triangles, where they explicitly correspond to Jewish mystical concepts. The six sfirot of the masculine Zer Anpin correspond to the six items on the seder plate, while the seventh sfira being the feminine Malkhut corresponds to the plate itself.[19][20][21]

However, these seder-plate triangles are parallel, one above the other, and do not actually form a hexagram.[22]

According to G. S. Oegema (1996)

Isaac Luria provided the hexagram with a further mystical meaning. In his book Etz Chayim he teaches that the elements of the plate for the Seder evening have to be placed in the order of the hexagram: above the three sefirot "Crown", "Wisdom", and "Insight", below the other seven.[23][page needed]

Similarly, M. Costa[full citation needed] wrote that M. Gudemann and other researchers in the 1920s claimed that Isaac Luria was influential in turning the Star of David into a national Jewish emblem by teaching that the elements of the plate for the Seder evening have to be placed in the order of the hexagram. Gershom Scholem (1990) disagrees with this view, arguing that Isaac Luria talked about parallel triangles one beneath the other and not about the hexagram.[24]

The Star of David at least since the 20th century remains associated with the number seven and thus with the Menorah, and popular accounts[unreliable source?] associate it with the six directions of space plus the center (under the influence of the description of space found in the Sefer Yetsira: Up, Down, East, West, South, North, and Center), or the Six Sefirot of the Male (Zeir Anpin) united with the Seventh Sefirot of the Female (Nukva).[25] Some say that one triangle represents the ruling tribe of Judah and the other the former ruling tribe of Benjamin. It is also seen as a dalet and yud, the two letters assigned to Judah. There are 12 Vav, or "men," representing the 12 tribes or patriarchs of Israel.

Official usage in Central European communities

Historical flag of the Jewish community in Prague
In 1354, King of Bohemia Charles IV approved for the Jews of Prague a red flag with a hexagram.[26] In 1460, the Jews of Ofen (Buda, now part of Budapest, Hungary) received King Matthias Corvinus with a red flag on which were two Shields of David and two stars.[27] In the first Hebrew prayer book, printed in Prague in 1512, a large hexagram appears on the cover. In the colophon is written: "Each man beneath his flag according to the house of their fathers...and he will merit to bestow a bountiful gift on anyone who grasps the Shield of David." In 1592, Mordechai Maizel was allowed to affix "a flag of King David, similar to that located on the Main Synagogue" on his synagogue in Prague. Following the Battle of Prague (1648), the Jews of Prague were again granted a flag, in recognition of their contribution to the city's defense. That flag showed a yellow hexagram on a red background, with a "Swedish star" placed in the center of the hexagram.[26]

As a symbol of Judaism and the Jewish community

Herzl's proposed flag, as sketched in his diaries. Although he drew a Star of David, he did not describe it as such

Max Bodenheimer's (top left) and Herzl's (top right) 1897 drafts of the Zionist flag, compared to the final version used at the 1897 First Zionist Congress (bottom)
The symbol became representative of the worldwide Zionist community, and later the broader Jewish community, after it was chosen to represent the First Zionist Congress in 1897.[3][13]

A year before the congress, Herzl had written in his 1896 Der Judenstaat:

We have no flag, and we need one. If we desire to lead many men, we must raise a symbol above their heads. I would suggest a white flag, with seven golden stars. The white field symbolizes our pure new life; the stars are the seven golden hours of our working-day. For we shall march into the Promised Land carrying the badge of honor.[28]

David Wolffsohn (1856–1914), a businessman prominent in the early Zionist movement, was aware that the nascent Zionist movement had no official flag, and that the design proposed by Theodor Herzl was gaining no significant support, wrote:

At the behest of our leader Herzl, I came to Basle to make preparations for the Zionist Congress. Among many other problems that occupied me then was one that contained something of the essence of the Jewish problem. What flag would we hang in the Congress Hall? Then an idea struck me. We have a flag—and it is blue and white. The talith (prayer shawl) with which we wrap ourselves when we pray: that is our symbol. Let us take this Talith from its bag and unroll it before the eyes of Israel and the eyes of all nations. So I ordered a blue and white flag with the Shield of David painted upon it. That is how the national flag, that flew over Congress Hall, came into being.

In the early 20th century, the symbol began to be used to express Jewish affiliations in sports. Hakoah Vienna was a Jewish sports club founded in Vienna, Austria, in 1909 whose teams competed with the Star of David on the chest of their uniforms, and won the 1925 Austrian League soccer championship.[29] Similarly, The Philadelphia Sphas basketball team in Philadelphia (whose name was an acronym of its founding South Philadelphia Hebrew Association) wore a large Star of David on their jerseys to proudly proclaim their Jewish identity, as they competed in the first half of the 20th century.[30][31][32][33]

In boxing, Benny "the Ghetto Wizard" Leonard[34] (who said he felt as though he was fighting for all Jews) fought with a Star of David embroidered on his trunks in the 1910s.[citation needed] World heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer fought with a Star of David on his trunks as well, notably, for the first time as he knocked out Nazi Germany hero Max Schmeling in 1933;[35] Hitler never permitted Schmeling to fight a Jew again.[citation needed]

The Holocaust
Main article: Yellow badge

The yellow badge
A Star of David, often yellow, was used by the Nazis during the Holocaust to identify Jews. After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, there initially were different local decrees forcing Jews to wear distinct signs (e.g. in the General Government, a white armband with a blue Star of David; in the Warthegau, a yellow badge, in the form of a Star of David, on the left breast and on the back). If a Jew was found in public without the star, he could be severely punished. The requirement to wear the Star of David with the word Jude (German for Jew) was then extended to all Jews over the age of six in the Reich and in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (by a decree issued on September 1, 1941, and signed by Reinhard Heydrich)[36] and was gradually introduced in other Nazi-occupied areas. Others, however, wore the Star of David as a symbol of defiance against Nazi antisemitism, as in the case of United States Army private Hal Baumgarten, who wore a Star of David emblazoned on his back during the 1944 invasion of Normandy.[37]

Contemporary use

The flag of Israel
The flag of Israel, depicting a blue Star of David on a white background, between two horizontal blue stripes was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the country's establishment. The origins of the flag's design date from the First Zionist Congress in 1897; the flag has subsequently been known as the "flag of Zion".

Many Modern Orthodox synagogues, and many synagogues of other Jewish movements, have the Israeli flag with the Star of David prominently displayed at the front of the synagogues near the Ark containing the Torah scrolls.

Magen David Adom (MDA) ("Red Star of David" or, translated literally, "Red Shield of David") is Israel's only official emergency medical, disaster, and ambulance service. It has been an official member of the International Committee of the Red Cross since June 2006. According to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Magen David Adom was boycotted by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which refused to grant the organization membership because "it was [...] argued that having an emblem used by only one country was contrary to the principles of universality."[38] Other commentators said the ICRC did not recognize the medical and humanitarian use of this Jewish symbol, a Red Shield, alongside the Christian cross and the Muslim crescent.[39]

Use in sports

Béla Guttmann, footballer for Hakoah Vienna
Since 1948, the Star of David has carried the dual significance of representing both the state of Israel and Jewish identity in general. In the United States especially, it continues to be used in the latter sense by a number of athletes.

In baseball, Jewish major leaguer Gabe Kapler had a Star of David tattooed on his left calf in 2000, with the words "strong-willed" and "strong-minded", major leaguer Mike "Superjew" Epstein drew a Star of David on his baseball glove, and major leaguer Ron Blomberg had a Star of David emblazoned in the knob of his bat which is on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame.[40][41][42][43][44][45]

NBA basketball star Amar'e Stoudemire, who says he is spiritually and culturally Jewish,[46] had a Star of David tattoo put on his left hand in 2010.[47][48] NFL football defensive end Igor Olshansky has Star of David tattoos on each side of his neck, near his shoulders.[49][50][51] Israeli golfer Laetitia Beck displays a blue-and-white Magen David symbol on her golf apparel.[52][53]

In boxing, Jewish light heavyweight world champion Mike "The Jewish Bomber" Rossman fought with a Star of David embroidered on his boxing trunks,[54] and also has a blue Star of David tattoo on the outside of his right calf.[55][56][57]

Other boxers fought with Stars of David embroidered on their trunks include world lightweight champion, world light heavyweight boxing champion Battling Levinsky, Barney Ross (world champion as a lightweight, as a junior welterweight, and as a welterweight), world flyweight boxing champion Victor "Young" Peres, world bantamweight champion Alphonse Halimi, and more recently World Boxing Association super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman, light welterweight champion Cletus Seldin, and light middleweight Boyd Melson.[58][failed verification][59][60][61][62][63][64][65] Welterweight Zachary "Kid Yamaka" Wohlman has a tattoo of a Star of David across his stomach, and welterweight Dmitriy Salita even boxes under the nickname "Star of David".[66][67]

Maccabi clubs still use the Star of David in their emblems.[68]

Etymology
The Jewish Encyclopedia cites a 12th-century Karaite document as the earliest Jewish literary source to mention a symbol called "Magen Dawid" (without specifying its shape).[69]

The name 'Shield of David' was used by at least the 11th century as a title of the God of Israel, independent of the use of the symbol. The phrase occurs independently as a divine title in the Siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book, where it poetically refers to the divine protection of ancient King David and the anticipated restoration of his dynastic house, perhaps based on Psalm 18, which is attributed to David, and in which God is compared to a shield (v. 31 and v. 36). The term occurs at the end of the "Samkhaynu/Gladden us" blessing, which is recited after the reading of the Haftara portion on Saturday and holidays.[70]

The earliest known text related to Judaism which mentions a sign called the "Shield of David" is Eshkol Ha-Kofer by the Karaite Judah Hadassi, in the mid-12th century CE:

Seven names of angels precede the mezuzah: Michael, Gabriel, etc. ...Tetragrammaton protect you! And likewise the sign, called the "Shield of David", is placed beside the name of each angel.[71]

This book is of Karaite, and not of Rabbinic Jewish origin, and it does not describe the shape of the sign in any way.

Miscellaneous
In Unicode, the "Star of David" symbol is U+2721 (✡︎).
The world's largest Star of David (2,400 metres (7,900 ft) diameter) is at Harold Holt Naval Communications Station, Exmouth, Australia at 21.815927°S 114.165888°E.[72] (Google Earth view)
Some criminal gangs, including the Gangster Disciples and those affiliated with the Folk Nation, use the Star of David as their symbol. In the case of the Gangster Disciples this is a reference to the group's founder, David Barksdale, also known as "King David".
The Flag and Badge of British Colonial Nigeria contained a Star of David-like hexagram from 1914 to 1952.
The insignia of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service has included a hexagram since the end of the 19th century.[73]
Gallery
Star in the Schneider Synagogue, Istanbul
Star in the Schneider Synagogue, Istanbul

 
Star in the Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue, Safed
Star in the Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue, Safed

 
The Magen David Adom emblem
The Magen David Adom emblem

 
A synagogue in Karlsruhe, Germany, with the outline of a Star of David
A synagogue in Karlsruhe, Germany, with the outline of a Star of David

 
A recruitment poster published in American Jewish magazines during WWI. Daughter of Zion (representing the Jewish people): Your Old New Land must have you! Join the Jewish regiment.
A recruitment poster published in American Jewish magazines during WWI. Daughter of Zion (representing the Jewish people): Your Old New Land must have you! Join the Jewish regiment.

 
Roundel displayed on Israeli Air Force aircraft, 1948–present
Roundel displayed on Israeli Air Force aircraft, 1948–present

 
Stained glass Star of David
Stained glass Star of David

 
USVA headstone emblem 3
USVA headstone emblem 3

 
USVA headstone emblem 44
USVA headstone emblem 44

 
Morocco horse cover embroidery
Morocco horse cover embroidery

See also
Judaism portal
Anahata
Chai symbol
G2 (mathematics)
Merkaba
Shatkona, an identical Hindu symbol
Kagome crest, an identical Japanese symbol
Star of Bethlehem
Star of David theorem
Star of Lakshmi
Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish, 2005 book
Unicursal hexagram
Zoigl, a make of German beer which uses ✡︎ as its symbol
Seal of Solomon
Notes
 Biblical Hebrew Māḡēn Dāwīḏ [maːˈɣeːn daːˈwiːð], Tiberian [mɔˈɣen dɔˈvið], Modern Hebrew [maˈɡen daˈvid], Ashkenazi Hebrew and Yiddish Mogein Dovid [ˈmɔɡeɪn ˈdɔvid] or Mogen Dovid, Ladino: Estreya de David.
References
 Jacob Newman; Gabriel Sivan; Avner Tomaschoff (1980). Judaism A–Z. World Zionist Organization. p. 116.
 Berlin, ed. (2011). p. 463.
 "The Flag and the Emblem" (MFA).
 "The Flag and the Emblem" (MFA). "The Star of David became the emblem of Zionist Jews everywhere. Non-Jews regarded it as representing not only the Zionist current in Judaism, but Jewry as a whole."
 Reuveni (2017). p. 43.
 "The Flag and the Emblem" (MFA). "Unlike the menora (candelabrum), the Lion of Judah, the shofar (ram's horn) and the lulav (palm frond), the Star of David was never a uniquely Jewish symbol."
 "King Solomon's Seal". www.mfa.gov.il. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
 Scholem 1949, p. 244:"It is not to be found at all in medieval synagogues or on medieval ceremonial objects, although it has been found in quite a number of medieval Christian churches again, not as a Christian symbol but only as a decorative motif. The appearance of the symbol in Christian churches long before its appearance in our synagogues should warn the overzealous interpreters. "
 Leet, Leonora (1999). "The Hexagram and Hebraic Sacred Science" in: The Secret Doctrine of the Kabbalah, pp. 212–217. Re-accessed 5 June 2022.
 Scholem 1949, p. 246:"In the beginning these designs had no special names or terms, and it is only in the Middle Ages that definite names began to be given to some of those most widely used. There is very little doubt that terms like these first became popular among the Arabs, who showed a tremendous interest in all the occult sciences, arranging and ordering them systematically long before the Practical Cabalists thought of doing so.
It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that for a long time both the five-pointed and the six-pointed stars were called by one name, the "Seal of Solomon," and that no distinction was made between them. This name is obviously related to the Jewish legend of Solomon's dominion over the spirits, and of his ring with the Ineffable Name engraved on it. These legends expanded and proliferated in a marked fashion during the Middle Ages, among Jews and Arabs alike, but the name, "Seal of Solomon," apparently originated with the Arabs. This term they did not apply to any one design exclusively; they applied it to an entire series of seven seals to which they attributed extreme potency in putting to flight the forces of the Demon."
 Scholem 1949, p. 250:"From Prague this official use of the symbol spread out. In 1655 it is found on the seal of the Viennese community, and in 1690 on the seal of the community of Kremsier, in Moravia. On the wall of the old synagogue of the community of Budweis (Southern Bohemia), which was abandoned by the Jews in 1641, there are representations of Shields of David alternating with roses; apparently, this is the oldest synagogue outside of Prague on which this symbol is to be found. In his youth, R. Jonathan Eybeschuetz might have been able to see it on the seal of the community of EybeSchuetz. A number of communities in Moravia used as a seal the Shield of David alone, with the addition of the name of the community. Others had on their seals a lion holding the Shield of David, like the community of Weiskirchen at the beginning of the 18th century. In very isolated instances the figure of the Shield of David was used in southern Germany also, doubtless under the influence of the Prague community.
In other countries, we do not generally find the Shield of David in use before the beginning of the 19th century, either on community seals, or on the curtains of the Ark, or on Torah mantles."
 "The Flag and the Emblem" (MFA). "According to Scholem, the motive for the widespread use of the Star of David was a wish to imitate Christianity. During the Emancipation, Jews needed a symbol of Judaism parallel to the cross, the universal symbol of Christianity."
 Scholem 1949, p. 251:"Then the Zionists came, seeking to restore the ancient glories—or more correctly, to change the face of their people. When they chose it as a symbol for Zionism at the Basle Congress of 1897, the Shield of David was possessed of two virtues that met the requirements of men in quest of a symbol: on the one hand, its wide diffusion during the previous century—its appearance on every new synagogue, on the stationery of many charitable organizations, etc.—had made it known to everybody; and on the other, it was not explicitly identified with a religious association in the consciousness of their contemporaries.
This lack became its virtue. The symbol did not arouse memories of the past: it could be filled with hope for the future."
 "King Solomon-s Seal", with credits Archived October 16, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
 Dan Urman & Paul V.M. Fesher (eds.). Ancient Synagogues, p. 612, BRILL, 1998
 Herbert M. Adler, JQR, vol. 14:111. Cited in "Magen David", Jewish Encyclopedia, retrieved May 28, 2010.
 "The Star of David - Magen David". Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
 www.markfoster.net Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
 Rabbi Blumenkrantz, "The Seder", The Laws of Pesach: A Digest 2010: Chap. 9. See also, [1] Archived March 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved May 28, 2010.
 Yirmiyahu Ullman (May 5, 2008). "Magen David". Ohr Samayach. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
 Simon Jacobson, op-ed, "Tzav-Passover: The Seder Plate" Archived August 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, A Meaningful Life, retrieved May 28, 2010.
 Gershom Scholem shows conclusively they do not form a hexagram. See, Hatakh ha-Zahav, Hotam Shelomoh u-Magen-David (Poalim, Hebrew) 1990:156.
 G. S. Oegema, Realms of Judaism. The history of the Shield of David, the birth of a symbol (Peter Lang, Germany, 1996) ISBN 3-631-30192-8
 Hatakh ha-Zahav, Hotam Shelomoh u-Magen-David (Poalim, 1990, Hebrew) p. 156
 Rabbi Naftali Silberberg, "What is the Mystical Significance of the Star of David?"
 Kashani, Reuven. "The National Flag" The Israel Review of Arts and Letters, 1998/107–8, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1999).
 Schwandtner, Scriptores Rerum Hungaricarum, ii. 148. Facsimile in M. Friedmann, Seder Eliyahu Rabbah ve-Seder Eliyahu Ztṭa, Vienna, 1901
 "The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Jewish State, by Theodor Herzl". Retrieved April 18, 2016.
 Brenner, Michael; Gideon Reuveni, Gideon, eds. (2006). Emancipation through muscles: Jews and sports in Europe. U of Nebraska Press. pp. 111, 119, 122. ISBN 9780803205420. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Encyclopedia of American Jewish history. ABC-CLIO. 2007. ISBN 9781851096381. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Outside the box: a memoir. Rodale. 2006. ISBN 9781594862571. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Philadelphia Jewish life, 1940–2000. Temple University Press. 2006. ISBN 9781566399999. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Kirsch, George B; Harris, Othello; Nolte, Claire Elaine (2000). Encyclopedia of ethnicity and sports in the United States. ISBN 9780313299117. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
 Silverman (2007). p. 208.
 Silverman (2007). p. 218.
 "Polizeiverordnung über die Kennzeichnung der Juden [Police Regulation on the identification of Jews]". Verfassungen.de (in German). September 1, 1941. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2015. Der Judenstern besteht aus einem handtellergroßen, schwarz ausgezogenen Sechs‌stern aus gelbem Stoff mit der schwarzen Aufschrift 'Jude'. Er [sic] ist sichtbar auf der linken Brustseite des Kleidungs‌stücks fest aufgenäht zu tragen. [Translation: The Jews' star consists of a palm-sized, black solid six-pointed star made of yellow fabric with a black inscription [which says] 'Jew'. [It must be] visibly and firmly sewn on the left chest of the garment.] (This policy came into full force as of September 19, 1941)
 "Omaha the Hard Way: Conversation with Hal Baumgarten". Historynet.com. February 15, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
 Geneva Vote Paves the Way for MDA Red Cross Membership, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, December 8, 2005
 Magen David: Shield or Star? On Language, by Philologos, The Forward June 30, 2006
 Paul Lukas (April 2, 2007). "Uni Watch: Passover edition". ESPN. p. 2. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Beggy, Carol; Shanahan, Mark (September 24, 2004). "Sox pair weigh holiday play; councilor swept up". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 "Jewish Stars". Cleveland Jewish News. April 16, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Ain, Stewart (September 8, 2006). "Fast Balls Keep Flying At Mel". The Jewish Week. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 "It started as a great idea, then fate stepped in". Jewish Tribune. September 29, 2005. Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Salkin, Allen. "Where have you gone, Sandy Koufax?". Charlotte.creativeloafing.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Isabel Kershner and Harvey Araton "Amar'e Stoudemire's Quest to Israel", The New York Times, August 3, 2010
 Klopman, Michael (August 2, 2010). "Is Amare Stoudemire Jewish? Knick Shows Star Of David Tattoo, Wears Yarmulke (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 "Knicks star Amar'e Stoudemire keeps things kosher". New York Post. August 20, 2010. Archived from the original on November 3, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 "Are you ready for some football? » Kaplan's Korner on Jews and Sports". New Jersey Jewish News. September 14, 2009. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Whisler, John (August 1, 2009). "Cowboys add muscle on defense with Olshanksy". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 "Tenacious D – by Nisha Gopalan". Tablet Magazine. November 14, 2008. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 "Yom Kippur a No Go for Young Golfer Laetitia Beck". Algemeiner Journal. October 7, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
 Sagui, Miki (September 7, 2011). "Laetitia Beck, Israel's Tiger Woods". Ynetnews. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
 Silverman (2007). p. 103.
 "Dodger-Giant Rivalry Downright Nostalgic", The Spokesman-Review, September 24, 1978
 "The Commander". New York. Vol. 39. 2006. p. 32. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Pat Putnam (December 18, 1978). "Mom is Jewish, Dad is Italian, and Mike Rossman—the Star". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Silverman (2007).
 The 1930s. Weigl Educational Publishers Limited. 2000. ISBN 9781896990644. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Schaap, Jeremy (2007). Triumph: the untold story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 85. ISBN 978-0618688227. Retrieved February 17, 2011. skater star of david.
 "On the Rise: 'Hebrew Hammer' Cletus Seldin Seeks to Join Ranks of Historic Jewish Boxers". Algemeiner Journal. August 3, 2012.
 Ellis Island to Ebbets Field: Sport and the American Jewish Experience. Oxford University Press. 1993. p. 120. ISBN 9780195359008. Retrieved February 17, 2011. star of david.
 Vials, Chris (2009). Realism for the masses: aesthetics, popular front pluralism, and U.S. culture, 1935–1947. ISBN 9781604733495. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Wiggins, David. Sport in America eBook. Vol. II. ISBN 9781450409124. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Katz, Yossi (2010). A Voice Called: Stories of Jewish Heroism. Gefen Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 9789652294807. Retrieved February 19, 2011. star of david boxer.
 "Papa Said Knock You Out: Issue 53's Zachary Wohlman Fights This Thursday". Mass Appeal. November 11, 2013. Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
 Isaac Barrio (July 19, 2006). "Dmitriy "STAR OF DAVID" Salita in Main Event". Hardcoreboxing.net. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 Football: a sociology of the global game. Wiley-Blackwell. 1999. ISBN 9780745617695. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
 "Magen Dawid", Jewish Encyclopida, retrieved May 28, 2010.
 A similar term, "Shield of Abraham" appears in the first blessing of the "Amidah" prayer, which was written in early Rabbinic times (around year 1, a millennium before the first documentation of the term in reference to a sixGpoint star). That term is probably based on Genesis 15:1, where God promises to shield Abraham.
 Eshkol Ha-Kofer by Judah Hadassi, 12th century CE
 "Australian Heritage Database". Retrieved April 18, 2016.
 "The star of David". The Trinidad Guardian Newspaper. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
Bibliography
"The Flag and the Emblem". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
Berlin, Adele, ed. (2011). "Magen David". The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 463. ISBN 9780199730049. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
Reuveni, Gideon (2017). Consumer Culture and the Making of Modern Jewish Identity. Cambridge University Press. p. 43. ISBN 9781107011304. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
Scholem, Gershom (1949). "The Curious History of the Six-Pointed Star. How the "Magen David" Became the Jewish Symbol" (PDF). Commentary. Vol. 8. pp. 243–251.
Silverman, B.P. Robert Stephen (2007). The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes. New York, NY: S.P.I. Books. ISBN 9781561719075. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
Further reading
Handelman, Don; Shamgar-Handelman, Lea (1990). "Shaping Time: The Choice of the National Emblem of Israel". In Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney (ed.). Culture Through Time: Anthropological Approaches. Stanford University Press. pp. 193–226. ISBN 9780804717915.
Scholem, Gershom (1971). "The Star of David: History of a Symbol". The Messianic idea in Judaism and other essays on Jewish spirituality. Schocken Books. pp. 257–281. ISBN 9780805203622.
External links

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Star of David Technology in Jewelry Today
1906 Jewish Encyclopedia on Jewish symbols
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Magen David: From mystical talisman to Zionist symbol -Ynetnews
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Millennium: 2nd millennium
Centuries:
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Decades:
1260s1270s1280s1290s1300s
Years:
1285128612871288128912901291
1288 by topic
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Birth and death categories
Births – Deaths
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Establishments – Disestablishments
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1288 in poetry
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1288 in various calendars
Gregorian calendar 1288
MCCLXXXVIII
Ab urbe condita 2041
Armenian calendar 737
ԹՎ ՉԼԷ
Assyrian calendar 6038
Balinese saka calendar 1209–1210
Bengali calendar 695
Berber calendar 2238
English Regnal year 16 Edw. 1 – 17 Edw. 1
Buddhist calendar 1832
Burmese calendar 650
Byzantine calendar 6796–6797
Chinese calendar 丁亥年 (Fire Pig)
3984 or 3924
    — to —
戊子年 (Earth Rat)
3985 or 3925
Coptic calendar 1004–1005
Discordian calendar 2454
Ethiopian calendar 1280–1281
Hebrew calendar 5048–5049
Hindu calendars
 - Vikram Samvat 1344–1345
 - Shaka Samvat 1209–1210
 - Kali Yuga 4388–4389
Holocene calendar 11288
Igbo calendar 288–289
Iranian calendar 666–667
Islamic calendar 686–687
Japanese calendar Kōan 11 / Shōō 1
(正応元年)
Javanese calendar 1198–1199
Julian calendar 1288
MCCLXXXVIII
Korean calendar 3621
Minguo calendar 624 before ROC
民前624年
Nanakshahi calendar −180
Thai solar calendar 1830–1831
Tibetan calendar 阴火猪年
(female Fire-Pig)
1414 or 1033 or 261
    — to —
阳土鼠年
(male Earth-Rat)
1415 or 1034 or 262

Illustration of the Battle of Worringen
Year 1288 (MCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.

Events
By place
Europe
June 5 – Battle of Worringen: Dutch forces under Duke John I (the Victorious) defeat the coalition army of Cologne, Luxemburg, and Nassau at Worringen. The battle is fought during the War of the Limburg Succession, in a struggle to conquer the Duchy of Limburg. John liberates the city of Cologne from rule by the Electorate of Cologne, which has previously been one of the major ecclesiastical principalities of the Holy Roman Empire.
Summer – Sultan Muhammad II drives the rebellious Banu Ashqilula from one stronghold to the next, where they are finally expelled from Granadan territory in Al-Andalus (modern Spain). Meanwhile, Muhammad manages through diplomatic intrigue, to turn the Castilian aristocracy against King Sancho IV (the Brave). In response, King Alfonso III (the Liberal) proclaims the 18-year-old Alfonso de la Cerda as ruler of Castile and León.[1]
August 8 – Pope Nicholas IV proclaims a crusade against the 26-year-old King Ladislaus IV (the Cuman), who had lost credibility by favoring his semi-pagan Cuman subjects in Hungary, and in general refusing to conform to the social standards of Western Europe. Meanwhile, the Hungarian government loses more power because the clergy and most of the nobles rule the kingdom independently.[2][3]
October 28 – Treaty of Canfranc: King Edward I (Longshanks) signs an agreement with Alfonso III (the Liberal) at Canfranc, about the release of Charles II (the Lame), who has been captured by Admiral Roger of Lauria in the Battle of the Gulf of Naples (see 1284).[4]
England & Scotland
January 20 – Newcastle Emlyn Castle in West Wales is recaptured by the English forces after a ten-day siege, bringing Rhys ap Maredudd's revolt to an end. Rhys is exiled to Ireland.
The Parliament of Scotland creates a law allowing women to propose marriage to men during leap years; men who refuse such proposals are required to pay a fine to the spurned bride-to-be.
Levant
Spring – Genoa orders Admiral Benedetto Zaccaria to send five galleys to support Genoese suzerainty of Tripoli. Princess Lucia, sister of the late Count Bohemond VII, arrives in Acre, where the Knights Hospitaller escort her to the frontier with Tripoli. The commune refuses to accept her as new ruler and places the city under Genoese protection. After negotiations, Lucia offers to confirm Genoa's existing commercial privileges in Tripoli.[5]
Asia
April 9 – Battle of Bạch Đằng: Đại Việt (Vietnamese) general Trần Hưng Đạo sinks the fleet of an invading Mongol-led Yuan expeditionary army (some 94,000 men). He orders the placing of steel-tipped bamboo stakes (to create an ambush) in the Bach Dang River near Ha Long Bay. This ends the intentions of Kublai Khan to conquer Vietnam and Champa.[6]
April – The Japanese era Kōan ends and the Shōō era begins during the reign of the 22-year-old Emperor Fushimi (until 1293).
By topic
Art and Culture
The oldest surviving bell, in the clocks atop the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, is built.
Work is begun on the construction of Mob Quad in Merton College, Oxford.
Markets
June 16 – Petrus, bishop of Västerås, buys 1/8 of the Stora Kopparberg copper mine in Falun, Sweden. During the reign of King Magnus III, nobles and foreign merchants from Lübeck take interests in the mining area.
The Flemish city of Ghent seeks rights to start redeeming its already issued annuities. It is a clear indication of financial difficulty, and maybe an early sign of the crisis of the 13th Century.[7]
Religion
February 22 – Nicholas IV is elected as the successor of the late Honorius IV (see 1287) during a conclave in Rome and becomes the 191st pope of the Catholic Church.
March–April – Rabban Bar Sauma, Chinese Nestorian monk and diplomat, arrives at Rome and is received by Nicholas IV, who gives him communion on Palm Sunday.[8]
Technology
The oldest-known bronze handgun in the world is dated to this year, a Chinese gun found in Acheng District, that was once used to suppress the rebellion of the Mongol prince Nayan.
Births
January 20 – Robert Lisle, English nobleman (d. 1344)
April 5 – Go-Fushimi, emperor (tenno) of Japan (d. 1336)
November 1 – Ivan I, Grand Duke of Moscow (d. 1341)
November 26 – Go-Daigo, emperor of Japan (d. 1339)
Adolph II de la Marck, French prince-bishop (d. 1344)
Blanche of Burgundy, French noblewoman (d. 1348)
Charles I, king of Hungary (House of Anjou) (d. 1342)
Gersonides, French Jewish mathematician (d. 1344)
Guillaume I, French nobleman and knight (d. 1335)
John of Beaumont, Dutch nobleman and knight (d. 1356)
Mahmoud Shabestari, Persian poet and writer (d. 1340)
Nicholas II, German nobleman and chamberlain (d. 1365)
Nicolas Béhuchet, French nobleman and admiral (d. 1340)
Nijō Michihira, Japanese nobleman and advisor (d. 1335)
Pedro Afonso, Portuguese nobleman and knight (d. 1350)
Philip of Majorca, Aragonese prince and regent (d. 1343)
Pierre Desprès, French cardinal and diplomat (d. 1361)
Deaths
February 15 – Henry III (the Illustrious), German nobleman
April 24 – Gertrude of Austria, Austrian noblewoman (b. 1226)
June 5
Henry VI, count of Luxembourg (the Condemned)
Waleran I, French nobleman (House of Luxembourg)
June 8 – Lope Díaz III, Spanish nobleman and knight (b. 1245)
June 26 – Siegfried IV, German nobleman and prince-bishop
July 3 – Stephen de Fulbourn, English archbishop and politician
August 2 – Alix of Brittany (or Blois), Breton noblewoman (b. 1243)
September 7 – Agnes of Dampierre, French noblewoman (b. 1237)
September 29 – Matilda of Brabant, French noblewoman (b. 1224)
September 30 – Leszek II (the Black), Polish nobleman (b. 1241)
November 11 – Beatrice of Brabant, countess of Flanders (b. 1225)
November 19 – Rudolf I, German nobleman and regent (b. 1230)
December 17 – Ibn al-Nafis, Syrian scholar and polymath (b. 1213)
Guillaume III, French nobleman, chamberlain and knight (b. 1217)
Matilda of Holstein (or Mechthild), queen consort of Denmark
Shang Ting, Chinese calligrapher, poet and writer (b. 1209)
Tikkana Somayaji, Indian Prime-Minister and poet (b. 1205)
Wang Qinghui, Chinese concubine, poet and writer (b. 1264)
References
 Joseph F. O'Callaghan (2011). The Gibraltar Crusade: Castile and the Battle for the Strait, pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-0-8122-2302-6.
 Engel, Pál (2001). The Realm of St. Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary, 895–1526, p. 109. Tauris Publishers. ISBN 1-86064-061-3.
 Kontler, László (1999). Millennium in Central Europe: A History of Hungary, p. 84. Atlantisz Publishing House. ISBN 963-9165-37-9.
 Runciman, Steven (1958). The Sicilian Vespers: A History of the Mediterranean World in the Later Thirteenth Century, p. 246. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-60474-2.
 David Nicolle (2005). Osprey: Acre 1291 - Bloody sunset of the Crusader states, p. 17. ISBN 978-1-84176-862-5.
 Elleman, Bruce A. (2012). China as a Sea Power, 1127-1368: A Preliminary Survey of the Maritime Expansion and Naval Exploits of the Chinese People During the Southern Song and Yuan Periods, pp. 236–237. Naval War College: NUS Press, ISBN 9789971695057.
 Munro, John H. (2003). "The Medieval Origins of the Financial Revolution". The International History Review. 15 (3): 506–562.
 Chisholm, Hugh (1911). "Rabban Bar Sauma". Encyclopædia Britannica, p. 767. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Category: 1288
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