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{{Short description|Staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology}}
{{About-distinguish-text|a staff entwined with two serpents|the [[Rod of Asclepius]], entwined with one serpent}}
<!--NOTE: If you intend to add any information about the caduceus as a medical symbol, please read this article and 'Rod of Asclepius' article in their entirety first, as there is much confusion between the two. Any uncited contribution referring to the caduceus as a medical symbol will be removed per WP:CITE and WP:V.-->
[[File:Caduceus.svg|thumb|upright|Modern depiction of the caduceus as the symbol of logistics]]
[[File:Hermes Ingenui Pio-Clementino Inv544.jpg|thumb|upright|{{lang|la|Hermes Ingenui}}{{efn|It is unclear whether the inscription refers to a patron who paid for the statue, or to the sculptor of the statue.}} carrying a winged caduceus upright in his left hand. A Roman copy after a Greek original of the 5th century BCE ([[Museo Pio-Clementino]], [[Rome]])]]

The '''caduceus''' (☤; {{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|dj|uː|ʃ|ə|s|,_|-|s|i|ə|s}}; {{etymology|la|{{wikt-lang|la|cādūceus}}|}}, {{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|κηρύκειον}}'' ({{grc-transl|κηρύκειον}})|herald's wand, staff}}){{efn|The Latin word {{wikt-lang|la|cādūceus}} is an adaptation of the Greek word, itself derived {{etymology|grc|''{{wikt-lang|grc|κῆρυξ}}'' ({{grc-transl|κῆρυξ}})|messenger, herald, envoy}}.<ref>Liddell and Scott, ''Greek–English Lexicon''</ref>{{sfnp|Tyson|1932|page=493}}}} is the staff carried by [[Hermes]] in [[Greek mythology]] and consequently by [[Hermes Trismegistus]] in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was borne by other heralds like [[Iris (mythology)|Iris]], the messenger of [[Hera]]. The short staff is entwined by two [[serpent (mythology)|serpents]], sometimes surmounted by wings. In Roman iconography, it was depicted being carried in the left hand of [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]], the messenger of the gods.

Some accounts assert that the oldest imagery of the caduceus is rooted in Mesopotamia with the Sumerian god [[Ningishzida]]; his symbol, a staff with two snakes intertwined around it, dates back to 4000&nbsp;BC to 3000&nbsp;BC.<ref>Gary Lachman, ''The Quest for Hermes Trismigestus'', 2011, Chapter 3, p. x.</ref> This iconography may have been a representation of two snakes copulating.{{sfnp|Lisman|2013|p=34}}

As a symbol, it represents Hermes (or the Roman Mercury), and by extension trades, occupations, or undertakings associated with the god. In later [[Classical antiquity|Antiquity]], the caduceus provided the basis for the [[astronomical symbol]] for [[Mercury (planet)|planet Mercury]]. Thus, through its use in [[astrology]], [[alchemy]], and [[astronomy]] it has come to denote the planet Mercury and by extension the eponymous [[Mercury (element)|planetary metal]]. It is said that the wand would wake the sleeping and send the awake to sleep. If applied to the dying, their death was gentle; if applied to the dead, they returned to life.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/livesnecromance04godwgoog |title=Lives of the Necromancers |author=William Godwin |year=1876 |page=37 }}</ref>

By extension of its association with Mercury and Hermes, the caduceus is also a symbol of commerce and negotiation, two realms in which exchange balanced by reciprocity is recognized as an ideal.<ref name=Hermes>{{cite web |publisher=[[Unicode Consortium]] |title=Miscellaneous Symbols |quote={{unichar|269A|Staff of Hermes}} signifies a commercial term or commerce |url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/nameslist/n_2600.html |access-date=2021-09-14 |archive-date=2012-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204210303/https://www.unicode.org/charts/nameslist/n_2600.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfnp|Friedlander|1992 |page=83}}<ref>{{cite book |quote=In modern times the caduceus figures as a symbol of commerce, since [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]] is the god of commerce |first=M. Oldfield |last=Howey |title=The Encircled Serpent: A Study of Serpent Symbolism in All Countries and Ages |publisher=Arthur Richmond Co. |location=New York |date=1955 |page=77}}</ref> This association is ancient, and consistent from classical antiquity to modernity.<ref>{{cite book |quote=The name of the god Mercury cannot be disassociated from the word {{lang|la|merx}}, which means merchandise. Such was the sentiment of the ancients. |editor-first=Yves |editor-last=Bonnefoy |translator=Wendy Doniger  |title=Roman and European Mythologies |publisher=University of Chicago Press |date=1992 |page=135}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |quote=Mercury was the Roman name for the Greek god Hermes. His Latin name was apparently derived from merx or mercator, a merchant.|first=Michael E. |last=Bakich |title=The Cambridge Planetary Handbook |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2000 |page=85}}</ref> The caduceus is also a symbol of printing, by extension of the attributes of Mercury associated with writing and eloquence.

Although the [[Rod of Asclepius]], which has only one snake and no wings, is the traditional and more widely used symbol of medicine, the [[caduceus as a symbol of medicine|caduceus is sometimes used]] by healthcare organizations. Given that the caduceus is primarily a symbol of commerce and other non-medical symbology, many healthcare professionals disapprove of this use.<ref name=Engle/>
<!-- NOTE: If you intend to add any information about the caduceus as a medical symbol, please read this article and 'Rod of Asclepius' article in their entirety first, as there is much confusion between the two. Any uncited contribution referring to the caduceus as a medical symbol will be removed per WP:CITE and WP:V. -->

==Classical antiquity==
{{gallery|title=The Caduceus in classical imagery
|File:Pompeii - Casa dei Vettii - Ixion.jpg
|alt1=Fresco from Pompeii of ''the punishment of Ixion'', showing the god Mercury holding a Caduceus 
|Fresco from [[Pompeii]] of ''the punishment of [[Ixion]]'': in the center is [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]] holding the caduceus
|File:Winged goddess Cdm Paris 392.jpg
|alt2=Iris with the caduceus 
|Iris with the caduceus in detail from an Attic [[red-figure]] [[pelike]], middle of fifth century BC ([[Agrigento]], Sicily)
|File:Münze aus Sardes mit Hermesstab.jpg
|alt3=Coin from Sardis with caduceus
|Coin from [[Sardis]] (Turkey) with caduceus ({{Circa|140-144 CE}})
}}

===Mythology===
The ''[[Homeric Hymn]] to Hermes'' relates how his half brother [[Apollo]] was enchanted by Hermes's music from his lyre fashioned from a tortoise shell, which Hermes kindly gave to him. Apollo in return gave Hermes the caduceus as a gesture of friendship.{{sfnp|Tyson|1932|page=494}} The association with the serpent thus connects Hermes to [[Apollo]], as later the serpent was associated with [[Asclepius]], the "son of Apollo".<ref>{{cite book |last=Deldon |first=Anne McNeely |title=Mercury rising: women, evil, and the trickster gods |publisher=Spring Publications |date=1996 |isbn=978-0-88214-366-8 |page=90 |quote=Homer tell us that Hermes' caduceus, the golden wand, was acquired by Hermes from Apollo in exchange for the tortoise-lyre; later the caduceus changed hands again from Hermes to Apollo's son, Asclepius.}}</ref>

The association of Apollo with the serpent is a continuation of the older [[Indo-European mythology|Indo-European]] [[dragon]]-slayer motif. [[Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher]] (1913) pointed out that the serpent as an attribute of both Hermes and Asclepius is a variant of the "pre-historic semi-chthonic serpent hero known at Delphi as [[Python (mythology)|Python]]", who in classical mythology is slain by Apollo.<ref>{{cite journal|first=S |last=Davis |title=Argeiphontes in Homer – The Dragon-Slayer|journal=Greece & Rome|volume=22|issue=64|year=1953|pages=33–38|doi=10.1017/S0017383500011712|jstor= 640827|s2cid=163106261 }} (citing W. H. Roscher, ''Omphalos'' (1913))</ref>

One Greek [[Etiology|myth of origin]] of the caduceus is part of the story of [[Tiresias]],<ref name=blayney>{{cite web|url=http://drblayney.com/Asclepius.html|title=The Caduceus vs the Staff of Asclepius|last=Blayney|first=Keith|date=September 2002|access-date=2007-06-15|archive-date=2019-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016050753/http://www.drblayney.com/Asclepius.html|url-status=live}}</ref> who found two snakes copulating and killed the female with his staff. Tiresias was immediately turned into a woman, and so remained until he was able to repeat the act with the male snake seven years later. This staff later came into the possession of the god Hermes, along with its transformative powers.

Another myth suggests that Hermes (or Mercury) saw two serpents entwined in mortal combat. Separating them with his wand he brought about peace between them, and as a result the wand with two serpents came to be seen as a sign of peace.{{sfnp|Tyson|1932|page=495}}

In Rome, [[Livy]] refers to the ''caduceator'' who negotiated peace arrangements under the diplomatic protection of the caduceus he carried.<ref>Livy: [[Ab Urbe Condita Libri (Livy)|Ab Urbe Condita Libri]], 31,38,9–10</ref>

===Iconography===
In some vase paintings ancient depictions of the Greek ''kerukeion'' are somewhat different from the commonly seen modern representation. These representations feature the two snakes atop the staff (or rod), crossed to create a circle with the heads of the snakes resembling horns. This old graphic form, with an additional crossbar to the staff, seems to have provided the basis for the graphical [[sign of Mercury]] (☿) used in  [[Greek astrology]] from late antiquity.<ref>"Signs and Symbols Used In Writing and Printing", p 269, in ''Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language'', unabridged, New York, 1953. Here the symbol of the planet Mercury is indicated as "the caduceus of Mercury, or his head and winged cap".</ref>

==Origin and comparative mythology==
{{further information|Serpent worship}}
[[File:Lekythos of Hermes.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Hermes hastens bearing his ''kerukeion'', on an [[Attica|Attic]] [[lekythos]], {{Circa|475 BC}}, attributed to the [[Tithonos Painter]]]]
The term ''kerukeion'' denoted any herald's staff, not necessarily associated with Hermes in particular.<ref>''Oxford Classical Dictionary'', third edition, ed. Hornblower and Spawforth, ''s.v.'' "Hermes".</ref>

In his study of the cult of Hermes, [[Lewis Richard Farnell]] (1909) assumed that the two snakes had simply developed out of ornaments of the shepherd's crook used by heralds as their staff.<ref>Farnell, ''[[The Cults of the Greek States]]'', vol. 5, p. 20, cited in Tyson 1932:494.</ref> This view has been rejected by later authors pointing to parallel iconography in the Ancient Near East. It has been argued that the staff or wand entwined by two snakes was itself representing a god in the pre-anthropomorphic era. Like the [[herma|herm]] or [[priapus]], it would thus be a predecessor of the anthropomorphic Hermes of the classical era.<ref>{{cite journal|author=A. L. Frothingham|title=Babylonian Origin of Hermes the Snake-God, and of the Caduceus I|journal=American Journal of Archaeology|year=1916|volume= 20, No. 2 (April–June, 1916)|issue=2|pages= 175–211|doi=10.2307/497115| jstor=497115}} Frothingham characterizes Farnell's simplistic view of the origin of the symbol as a "frivolous and futile theory".</ref>
<!--
The serpent-staff is in origin a symbolic depiction of the [[world pillar]] and the [[world serpent]].
The addition of a second serpent in the staff of Hermes is usually connected to an element of [[hermaphroditism]].
-->

===Ancient Near East===
[[File:Serpent_god_Ningishzida_on_the_libation_vase_of_Gudea,_circa_2100_BCE.jpg|thumb|upright|The Caduceus, symbol of God [[Ningishzida]], on the libation vase of [[Sumer]]ian ruler [[Gudea]], {{circa|2100 BCE}}]] 
[[File:Caduceus on Mauryan coin.jpg|thumb|upright|Caduceus symbol on a [[punch-marked coin]] of king [[Ashoka]] in [[India]], third to second century BC]]

[[William Hayes Ward]] (1910) discovered that symbols similar to the classical caduceus sometimes appeared on [[Mesopotamian cylinder seals]]. He suggested the symbol originated some time between 3000 and 4000 BC, and that it might have been the source of the Greek caduceus.<ref>William Hayes Ward, ''The Seal Cylinders of Western Asia'', Washington, 1910</ref> A.L. Frothingham incorporated Ward's research into his own work, published in 1916, in which he suggested that the prototype of Hermes was an "Oriental deity of Babylonian extraction" represented in his earliest form as a snake god. From this perspective, the caduceus was originally representative of Hermes himself, in his early form as the Underworld god [[Ningishzida]], "messenger" of the "Earth Mother".<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Frothingham | first1 = A.L. | year = | title = Babylonian Origins of Hermes the Snake-God, and of the Caduceus | url = | journal = American Journal of Archaeology | volume = 20 | issue = 2| pages = 175–211 }}</ref>
The caduceus is mentioned in passing by [[Walter Burkert]]<ref>Burkert, ''Greek Religion'' 1985: II.2.8, p. 158; Burkert notes H. Frankfort, in ''Iraq'', '''1''' (1934:10) and E.D. van Buren, in ''Archiv für Orientforschung'', '''10''' (1935/36:53-65).</ref> as "really the image of copulating snakes taken over from Ancient Near Eastern tradition".

In Egyptian iconography, the [[Djed]] pillar is depicted as containing a snake in a frieze of the [[Dendera Temple complex]].

===India===
The caduceus also appears as a symbol of the [[punch-marked coins]] of the [[Maurya Empire]] in India, in the third or second century BC. Numismatic research suggest that this symbol was the symbol of the Buddhist king [[Ashoka]], his personal "[[Mudra]]".<ref>Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi, ''Indian Numismatics'', Orient Longman, New Delhi 1981, p. 73 ([https://books.google.com/books?id=favxZII9WtwC&pg=PA73 online]).</ref> This symbol was not used on the pre-Mauryan punch-marked coins, but only on coins of the Maurya period, together with the [[arched-hill symbol|three arched-hill symbol]], the "peacock on the hill", the [[triskelis]] and the [[Taxila]] mark.<ref>Kailash Chand Jain, ''Malwa Through the Ages. From the Earliest Time to 1305 A.D.'', Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi et al. 1972, p. 134 ([https://books.google.com/books?id=_3O7q7cU7k0C&pg=PA134 online]).</ref>
It also appears carved in basalt rock in few temples of western ghats.

==Early modern use==
During the [[early modern period]], the caduceus was used as a symbol of [[rhetoric]] (associated with Mercury's eloquence).<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Noldus |editor1-first=B. |editor2-last=Roding |editor2-first=J. |title=Pieter Isaacsz (1569-1625): Court Painter, Art Trader and Spy |date=2007 |publisher=Brepol |isbn=9782503524665 |pages=280, 288}}</ref>
<gallery>
File:A seated woman with a scroll and two books, holding a caduce Wellcome V0047927.jpg|Engraving by Hendrik Goltzius (1558–1617)
File:Rhetoric- a young woman standing in a decorated interior with a caduceus in her right hand and a closed fan in her left hand, from the series 'The liberal arts' (Les arts liberaux) MET DP829049.jpg|''La Retorique'' (1633–35)
File:Allegory of Rhetoric.jpg|''Allegory of Rhetoric'' (1650)
</gallery>

==Modern use==
===Association with printing===
[[File:Columbian press Caduceus.jpg|thumb|upright|Part of an 1845 [[Columbian press|Columbian printing press]], showing the caduceus that is part of the machine's elaborate decoration]]
The caduceus has sometimes been associated with printing.

Many early printers such as [[Erhard Ratdolt]], [[Johann Froben]] and Johannes Tacuinus used it as their [[printer's mark]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boardley |first=John |date=March 22, 2015 |title=The First Printers' Mark |url=https://ilovetypography.com/2015/03/22/the-first-printers-mark/ |access-date=2025-10-01 |website=I Love Typography |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Müller|first=Christian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vU5tQgAACAAJ|title=Hans Holbein the Younger: The Basel Years, 1515–1532|publisher=[[Prestel]]|year=2006|isbn=978-3-7913-3580-3|page=295|language=en}}</ref> This was often in association with other symbols, such as a [[cornucopia]] or a [[Pegasus]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Roberts|first=William|title=Printers' marks : a chapter in the history of typography by W. Roberts|publisher=G. Bell & Sons|place=London|year=1893|oclc=1167076765|language=en}}</ref> It was also used on the [[Columbian press]], a type of printing press widely used in the 19th century and known for its elaborate scheme of symbolic ornamentation.

The caduceus was used as a publisher's mark by [[John Churchill (publisher)|John Churchill]], who began publishing medical texts in London in the 1830s. This may have contributed to the symbol's association with medicine.<ref>{{cite book|author=Walter J. Friedlander|title=The Golden Wand of Medicine: A History of the Caduceus Symbol in Medicine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8PFT3qb_tyEC&pg=PA115+|access-date=22 April 2013|year=1992|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-28023-8|page=115}}</ref>

===Symbol of commerce===
A simplified caduceus is found in dictionaries, as a "commercial term" entirely in keeping with the association of Hermes with commerce. In this form, the staff is often depicted with two winglets and the snakes omitted or reduced to a small ring in the middle.<ref name=Hermes />

The customs service of the former [[German Democratic Republic]] demonstrated the caduceus' association with thresholds, translators, and commerce in the service medals issued to their staff. The caduceus is also the symbol of the customs agency of [[Bulgaria]] and of the financial administration of the [[Slovakia]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Logo of the Financial Administration of the Slovak Republic |url=https://www.financnasprava.sk/_img/pfsedit/Dokumenty_PFS/Legislativa/IRA/smer/2015/2018.07.23_Smer_2015_04_pril01.pdf |access-date=2019-02-20 |archive-date=2019-02-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220235907/https://www.financnasprava.sk/_img/pfsedit/Dokumenty_PFS/Legislativa/IRA/smer/2015/2018.07.23_Smer_2015_04_pril01.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> (Tax and Customs administration). The emblems of [[Belarus]] Customs<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.customs.gov.by/en/history-en/ |title=Customs heraldy |author=Belarus Customs |access-date=2020-08-12 |archive-date=2020-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920225926/https://www.customs.gov.by/en/history-en/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fotw.info/flags/by-cust.html |title=Belarus - Customs Flag |work=FOTW |access-date=2020-08-12 |archive-date=2020-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811155019/https://fotw.info/flags/by-cust.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[China Customs]]<ref>[http://zhengzhou.customs.gov.cn/publish/portal106/tab1641/module5966/info3560.htm 海关关徽] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014165556/http://zhengzhou.customs.gov.cn/publish/portal106/tab1641/module5966/info3560.htm |date=2018-10-14 }}.</ref> are a caduceus crossing with a golden key. The emblem of the [[Federal Customs Service of Russia]] has a caduceus crossing with a torch on the shield.

The coat of arms of [[Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics]] of [[Ukraine]] has two crossed torches surmounted by a caduceus on the shield.

===Confusion with Rod of Asclepius===
{{Caduceus confusion summary|0.25}}
<!-- Please do not add extra content here - you should edit [[Template:Caduceus confusion summary]], which replicates on both the Rod of Asclepius and Caduceus pages. For detailed information on the confusion, you should edit [[Caduceus as a symbol of medicine]] -->

==Computer coding==
{{Infobox symbol
|sign     = ☤
|name     = Caduceus
|unicode  = {{unichar|2624|Caduceus}}
|see also = <br>{{unichar|263F|Mercury|nlink=Mercury (planet)}}  <br />{{unichar|1F750|Alchemical symbol for Caduceus}} <br>{{unichar|2BDA|Hygiea|nlink=10 Hygiea}}
|different from = {{unichar|2695|Staff of Aesculapius|nlink=Rod of Asclepius}} <br>{{unichar|269A|Staff of Hermes}}
}}
For use in documents prepared on computer, the symbol has [[code point]] in [[Unicode]], at {{unichar|2624|Caduceus}}. There is a similar glyph encoded at {{unichar|269A|staff of Hermes}}, an [[alchemical symbol]] at {{unichar|1F750|Alchemical symbol for Caduceus}}, and an astrological one at {{unichar|2BDA|Hygiea}}. [For information on how to enter the symbol, see [[Unicode input]] (or copy/paste it directly).] These symbols are [[Unicode font|not provided in all fonts]], especially older ones.

==Coats of arms and flags==
The symbol is depicted on multiple [[coats of arms]] and [[flags]].
{{gallery|noborder=yes|whitebg=no|width=160|height=160|title=Caduceus in coats of arms and flags
|File:Coat_of_arms_of_Ecuador.svg|alt1=The coat of arms of Ecuador.|[[Coat of arms of Ecuador]] 
|File:Jyväskylä.vaakuna.svg|alt2=Caduceus on the coat of arms of Jyväskylä, Finland|Caduceus on the coat of arms of [[Jyväskylä]], [[Finland]]
|File:Tampere.vaakuna.svg|alt3=Gules a bend sinister wavy accompanied in chief by a hammer and in base by a caduceus all Or.|Coat of arms of [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]
|File:Blason Lassay-les-Châteaux 53.svg|alt4=Argent a caduceus azure|Coat of arms of [[Lassay-les-Châteaux]], [[France]]
|File:Blason ville fr Saint-Pantaléon (Vaucluse).svg|alt5=Azure, a caduceus or; upon the chief azure, a fleur-de-lis between two towers, all or.|Coat of arms of [[Saint-Pantaléon, Vaucluse|Saint-Pantaléon]], [[France]]
|File:POL gmina Nur COA.svg|alt6=Azure, in base a wavy stripe argent, in chief a caduceus at the dexter and an anchor at the simister, all or.|Coat of arms of [[Gmina Nur]], [[Poland]]
|File:Emblem of the Federal Customs Service of Russia.svg|alt7=Vert bordure or a torch and a caduceus or saltirewise; for a Crest, a double-headed eagle displayed, twice imperially crowned, all Or, In chief another larger imperial crown with issuant and pendent therefrom a ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, also Or|Emblem of the [[Federal Customs Service of Russia]]
|File:Coat of Arms of Irbit (Sverdlovsk oblast).png|alt8=Per fess argent and gules, in chief a saltire azure, in base a caduceus or and a saber or saltirewise.|Coat of arms of [[Irbit]], [[Russia]]
|File:Bengtsfors vapen.svg|alt9=Gules, a bridge argent surmounted by a caduceus argent.|Coat of arms of [[Bengtsfors Municipality]], [[Sweden]]
|File:Balta coat of arms new official.png|alt10=Azure bordure or, a sheaf of six garbs or charged with a caduceus or, and overall surmounted by a mural crown argent.|Coat of arms of [[Balta, Ukraine|Balta]], [[Ukraine]]
|File:Coat of arms of Berdychiv.svg|alt11=Vert bordure or, a caduceus or and an axe argent saltirewise, four octagrams or in chief, in base and in fess, and overall surmounted by a mural crown argent.|Coat of arms of [[Berdychiv]], [[Ukraine]]
|File:Coat of arms of Kharkiv.svg|alt12=Vert bordure or, a caduceus argent and or, and a cornucopia or with fruits and vegetables proper saltirewise.|[[Coat of arms of Kharkiv]], Ukraine
|File:Menade Bal Püki Bal.svg|alt13=A caduceus between two globes, overlaid with the text "Menade Bal Püki Bal".|Emblem of the [[Volapük]] language
|File:Flag of Belarus Customs.png|alt14=Customs flag of Belarus, with a Caduceus crossed with a golden key at the center|Customs flag of [[Belarus]], with a Caduceus crossed with a golden key at the center
<!-- suspended because it is just an unrelated image superimposed on the arms of Belarus.
|File:Emblem of Vitebsk Costums.jpg|alt15=Coat of arms of Vitebsk | Coat of arms of [[Vitebsk]], Belarus
-->
|File:Flag of the Customs of the People's Republic of China.svg|alt15=Customs flag of China, with a Caduceus crossed with a golden key at the lower fly half| Customs flag of [[China]], with a Caduceus crossed with a golden key at the lower fly half
|File:Flag of Brisbane.svg|alt16=Flag of the City of Brisbane| Flag of the [[City of Brisbane]], [[Australia]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/about-council/council-information-and-rates/council-history/symbols-used-by-council |access-date=2022-01-11 |publisher=Brisbane City Council |title=Brisbane City Council: Symbols used by Council |archive-date=2023-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326023556/https://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/about-council/council-information-and-rates/council-history/symbols-used-by-council |url-status=live }}</ref>
|File:Flag of Vancouver Island.svg|alt17=Unofficial flag of Vancouver Island|Flag of [[Vancouver Island]], [[Canada]] (unofficial)
}}

==See also==
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* {{Annotated link |Aaron's rod}}
* {{Annotated link |Amphisbaena}}
* {{Annotated link |Bowl of Hygieia}}
* {{Annotated link |Crozier}}
* {{Annotated link |Double-headed eagle}}
* {{Annotated link |Healing Simurgh}}
* {{Annotated link |Mithraic mysteries}}
* {{Annotated link |Nehushtan}}
* {{Annotated link |Ningishzida}}
* {{Annotated link |Serpent (symbolism)}}
* {{Annotated link |Staff of Moses}}
* {{Annotated link |Star of Life}}
}}
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|35em}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |first=Walter J. |last=Friedlander |title=The Golden Wand of Medicine: A History of the Caduceus Symbol in Medicine |publisher=Greenwood Press |date=1992|isbn=978-0-313-28023-8}}.
*{{Cite book |last=Lisman |first=J.W. |title=Cosmogony, Theogony and Anthropogeny in Sumerian texts |date=2013 |publisher=Ugarit-Verlag}}
*{{cite journal | first=Stuart L. |last=Tyson |title=The Caduceus |journal=The Scientific Monthly |volume=34 |number=6 |date=1932 |pages=492–498|bibcode=1932SciMo..34..492T }}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal | pmid = 4863068 | volume=202 | title=Origin of the caduceus motif | date=November 1967 | journal=JAMA | pages=615–9  | last1 = Bunn | first1 = JT}}
* [[Walter Burkert|Burkert, Walter]], ''Structure and History in Greek Mythology and Ritual'', Translation, [[University of California]], 1979.

==External links==
{{wiktionary}}
{{Commons category|Caduceus}}
{{EB1911 poster|Caduceus}}
* [https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/P21.4.html Iris and Infant Hermes with Caduceus]
* [https://www.britannica.com/topic/caduceus Caduceus] from [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]
* [[Heinz Insu Fenkl|Fenkl, Heinz Insu]], {{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20061111101640/http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/forcaduc.html ''Caduceus'']}}

{{Greek religion|state=collapsed}}
{{Reptiles in culture}}

[[Category:Objects in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Symbols]]
[[Category:Pictograms]]
[[Category:Heraldic charges]]
[[Category:Hermes]]
[[Category:Snakes in art]]
[[Category:Walking sticks]]
[[Category:Ritual weapons]]
[[Category:Snakes in religion]]