July/August 2005

Right of Investiture

Author: Jeff Winters

The ceremony of emblematically clothing the candidate is neither original nor unique to Freemasonry. Use of the apron in the Hermetic ceremonies of ancient Egypt is evident. The apron was worn as a symbol of priestly power in the Levitican economy. The Persian mysteries incorporated the white apron (to be explained future during an educational lecture in Lodge) and, in the Hindustan, the investiture consisted of a scarf being tied around a candidate’s waist. Without question, the Operative Masons used the apron as an item of protective clothing.

It would seem that the symbolical wearing of aprons by Freemasons in imitation of operative masons would require little explanation, as the workman wore the apron as a protective covering. However, the modern Masonic apron is a white lambskin apron, which adds two specific qualities. First, the color white is a ritualistic development to represent purity and, second, the lambskin material is emblematical of innocence. Let us reflect on the anthropological evolution of the time. Many of the cultures in the following chronological references include various tribes which used the Apron in the operative sense. However, the specific references need to be added into this paper, but it appears that the use of certain working tools may have ben in use over the evolution of the noted cultures

The Elamite civilization in Iran first developed in the Susian plain, under the influence of nearby Sumeria and Mesopotamia in the Tigris-Euphrates valley. About 3500 B.C., animal drawn wheeled carts were in use in Sumeria. They also used ploughs to till their land, and oars to propel their ships on the Euphrates River. The Sumerians were the most advanced and complex civilization in the world at that time and by 3100 B.C. invented a system of writing which was the first of its kind in the world. Roughly 3000 B.C a group of people called the Akkadians migrated into northern Sumerian territory. The Akkadians adopted some aspects of Sumerian culture and for that reason; the region is sometimes referred to as Sumer - Akkad. Around 2340 B.C. Sargon, ruler of the Akkad defeated Sumer and went on to conquer Elam and the mountainous lands to the east. His empire spread from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caspian Sea in the north, and the Persian Gulf in the South.

Additionally, during the second millennia B.C., successive Indo-European (Aryan) invaders broke through into the Iranian plateau, either from the Caucasus, or through Central Asia. Those who settled in Iran (derived from (Aryan) were divided into tribes that were distinguished from each other by different dialects. The most famous of these tribes were the Persians (Parsa), and the Medes (Mada). The Persians eventually settled in the province of Fars (the name of the Persian language is Farsi) and in the Bakhtiari Mountains, while the Medes occupied the Hamedan plain. The Medes, were fierce warriors and skilled horse breeders, and at first were organized as independent tribes; however, this changed under the tribal chief, Deioces. The Median capital was established at Ecbatana or "Place of Assembly", modern Hamedan. Under the rule of Cyaxares (633-584 B.C.), the Medes put an end to centuries of war against the Assyrians. Their capture of Niniva in 612 B.C. finally brought down the Assyrian Empire. For more than half a century after the fall of Niniva, the Medes ruled over a vast empire its borders stretching from Afghanistan to Turkey

It is believed that the Luristan bronzes, such as the one I brought to Lodge in the January 2005 stated meeting, were crafted by the Medes, an Indo-European people who, in close association with the Persians, began to infiltrate into Persia at about this period. However, this has never been proved, and many believe the Hittites crafted the bronzes, and still others believe that they are connected with the Kassite civilization, or the Cimmerians or the Hurrians.

Additionally, the Guti, among other tribes living in the mountainous areas controlled many of the routes that crossed western Iran. They took advantage of periods of weakness in Babylonian power and, around 2200 B.C., even succeeded in invading Babylon, causing the fall of the empire of Akkad. This fall allowed Elam to capture Susa, a city that was to become one of its capitals. Elam developed into a civilization that could be compared with that of Sumer, and during the 13^th and 12^th centuries B.C, at the height of its glory, it succeeded in defeating Assyria and Babylon.

Such is the nature of the use of the Apron in the Investiture. Much of the above information was the basis of my Education Program Lecture regarding the Apron at January’s Stated Meeting.

Please Note: This is a sumarized version of the paper created to fit within a limited space. The final version, with Bibliography will replace this once submitted to the So. Cal. Research Lodge.

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