The Seal of the City of New York, adopted in an earlier form in 1686, bears the legend SIGILLUM CIVITATIS NOVI EBORACI which means simply "The Seal of the City of New York": Eboracum was the Roman name for York, the titularseat of James II as Duke of York.
Upon the arms / shield, the four windmill sails recall the city's Dutch history as New Amsterdam and the beavers and flourbarrels signify the city's earliest trade goods (see History of New York City). The flour barrels and windmills represent the tremendous wealth generated by New York City from the Bolting Act of 1674.3 The Act gave the city an exclusive monopoly to mill and export flour. The shield and supporters rest upon a horizontal laurel branch.
The crest over the seal is the Bald Eagle, added in 1784, after the American Revolution. Prior to this change, a crown had been located in this space, representing the authority of the monarchy during the British colonial period. The eagle rests upon a hemisphere. At the bottom is the date, 1625, ostensibly as the founding of New Amsterdam, the colonial Dutch settlement which would later become the City of New York. This date, however, was chosen for somewhat unknown reasons and most historians believe no significant event actually occurred that year. The first Dutch settlers actually arrived in the region in 1624, and the town of New Amsterdam was incorporated in 1653.4
City Seal and Flag, Department of Citywide Administrative Services, New York City
References
^ Note that "Dexter" is Latin for "right" and is a term used in heraldry to denote the rightmost character. It is not intended to represent the name of the character.
^ Note that "Sinister" is Latin for "left" and is a term used in heraldry to denote the leftmost character. It is not intended to represent the name of the character.
