The Symbols: More Than Conjecture?

As the time and seasons change at Bates College, The college seal is a symbol that is recognized and signifies the identity of the school. Bates College, which is a top liberal arts school, brings large amounts of traditions and history to separate themselves from the other NESCAC schools.  The seal consists of a concentric design, beginning with a narrow circular outline. In the next concentric level, the Latin word ‘ACADEMIA’ appears along the top of the circle, and the Latin word ‘BATESINA’ appears along the bottom. The number ‘1855’ appears across the center with the 18 on the left side and the 55 on the right side. The next concentric level consists of a band of leaves, which surrounds a circular belt design. The belt design includes a buckled placed low center on the left and a v design placed low center on the right, together with the Latin phrases ‘AMORE AC STUDIO’ within the top half of the belt design and ‘CONDITA 1855’ within the bottom half of the belt design. Within the innermost concentric level is a shield design, with a depiction of a lit lamp at the top of the circle, which overlaps the shield. The left half of the shield includes a depiction of a moose resting beneath a pine tree. The top right half of the shield includes a depiction of an open book. And the bottom right half of the shield includes a depiction of a sheaf of wheat.

The archivists at the Muskie Archives did a great amount of research on finding the possible meanings of the different symbols on the seal, but there is no historical evidence to back up any of these meanings. In order to put together certain assumptions, those who have speculated the meaning of the symbols have reached out to other colleges who have the same symbols. Since there is no record of data that supports any of these assumptions, we can only believe these are the meanings of the symbols. After a lot of research one archivist put together documentation of the best evidence she could find, however it was only conjecture. This research leads one to believe that the laurel wreath is an ancient symbol of honor, glory and/or striving for excellence. Given that this is Bates College, a top liberal arts school, this meaning seems very appropriate as striving for excellence is something Bates looks for in every aspect of the school. The shield would be a symbol that protects the mission/ identity of the college. The book, which is placed inside the shield, symbolizes the pursuit of learning. However, without clarification, this book could also signify the Bible, as Bates began as a Free Will Baptist institution. The lamp is thought to symbolize the enlightenment brought about by academic pursuit. The moose, which is lodged under a pine tree, could very well symbolize the location of the college. Also having the moose in the position it is in traditional heraldry indicates it to be docile, perhaps tamed by the intellectual pursuits. The pine tree is sometimes seen as a religious symbol of eternal life after death, however as stated before the pine tree also seems likely to symbolize the location. The sheaf of wheat is most commonly a symbol of agriculture. Nevertheless, in this instance the wheat is perhaps a symbol of Christ which would be represented by the "bread of life”.  The belt could symbolize a wide variety of things. We believe the belt to tie the whole symbol together and make the seal official, that way the belt would serve its purpose. There are no sources for these interpretations.

As we said earlier, when analyzing these symbols the archivists looked to other college seals to find out more information. Many college seals do indeed reference location, which is probably a strong factor for the inclusion of the pine tree inside the shield. To reference specific colleges that have similar signals, the archivist reached out to find out what the following symbols meant to their respected college. Elizabethtown College also places a lamp in their seal, which signifies a lamp for learning. Hobart College uses a book in their seal representing learning and education. At William and Mary University, a lamp is a traditional symbol of enlightenment and education. Now, these are assumptions, but these assumptions provide some clarity as to why these specific objects would be placed in the seal of Bates College.