The question is still unanswered: "Where does mere ornamentation
end, and where does Heraldry 'as we know it' begin?"  Many of
the symbols adopted into armory have been used since the time of
the ancient Egyptians, but heraldry itself did not begin until
the 11th century. In continental Europe, the most ancient
recorded Coat-of-Arms was discovered upon the monumental effigy
of a Count of Wasserburg in the church of St. Emeran, at
Ratisbon (Regensburg), Germany. The ensigns were "per fesse
argent and sable, a lion rampant counterchanged", dated 1010.
Some argue that the Bayeux Tapestry gave the first clue that by
that time Heraldry was well established on both the Norman and
the English side, but this claim can easily be dismissed as:
"Furthermore, accounts of the Battle of Hastings relate that a
rumour Duke William had been killed was only countered when he
removed his helmet and showed himself to his followers, an
expedient which would not have been necessary had he borne a
shield with a recognizable device