Chevron

Americans have become infatuated with the design known as the chevron. It may seem like a recent innovation, but chevron has been around for many centuries. Used from ancient Crete to Sparta, the chevron has now reached peak prominence in modern America. Some of the earliest chevrons can be found on ancient pottery in the country of Greece. It was used in ancient Greece as a design element much like it is used now. After they used the chevron as a mere design element in Greece, the chevron was used as a symbol of war in other parts of the world.

An ordinary is the term used for various design elements in a coat of arms. Archaeology shows that the chevron was used as an ordinary in Sparta. It was first used in a single form representing the uppercase letter lambda (Λ). The chevron also appeared later in Scandinavia and Britain on their various coats of arms. Chevron is not a new fad; furthermore, Americans are now adopting what some ancient cultures used as an identifier. That brings up a question about this pattern; why is it relevant?

Today, society does not revolve around family crests or coats of arms; however, the patterns a society adapts represent the society in some way. If it is not as an emblem for war, then perhaps the chevron is accepted as a modern symbol of wealth and prosperity. It is an unofficial global signal that states one belongs to the upper caste of society. After all, this pattern is not seen on everyday objects needed for sustainment of life; it is seen on iPhone cases, wallpapers, and other non-essential items. Chevron has returned to its roots as a pattern adorning luxury items.

Not only could the chevron represent wealth, but it could also foreshadow a new renaissance in Western culture. Chevron perhaps began as a letter repeating; this could signify it as a symbol of knowledge. Much like the renaissance in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, America is returning to old Greco-Roman ways. It might seem like a trivial detail; however, understanding the domination of the chevron might aid in understanding the modern American psyche, in addition to modern American culture.