Coat of arms, motto & mace
The University's coat of arms is an important part of the ANU logo. The coat of arms depicts a shield bearing a stylised representation of Australia beneath the stars of the Southern Cross.
The coat of arms also includes the ANU motto, "Naturam primum cognoscere rerum". This comes from the poem De rerum natura (III, 1072) by Lucretius, Roman poet, philosopher and scientist. In 1946, Cyril Bailey translated this as "first to learn the nature of things". An alternative translation, following Rolfe Humphries 1968 translation of De rerum natura, would be "above all to find out the way things are".
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The silver mace, which is the symbol of the Vice-Chancellor's authority, was presented to ANU by the University of Oxford in 1950. It is a replica of the original Oxford mace, made in gold by Benjamin Pyne, the 18th century goldsmith. The mace is carried before the Vice-Chancellor by the Esquire Bedel. The larger end of the mace is carried uppermost in the presence of the Chancellor.
