Pisces

One of the 88 IAU constellations. The constellation Pisces emerged in rather late time in antiquity. Its origin is yet unexplained but it occurs in written Greek sources (Aratus, Eratosthenes, Hipparchus, Ptolemy) and it is depicted in the circular Denderah zodiac dating to Roman time Egypt. Babylonian sources do not have this constellations.

Etymology and History

The Greek constellation ...

Origin of Constellation

Almagest Ἰχθύες

id	Greek (Heiberg 1898)	English (Toomer 1984)	ident.
	Ἰχθύων ἀστερισμός	Constellation of Pisces
1	ὁ ἐν τῷ στόματι τοῦ προηγουμένου Ἰχθύος	The star in the mouth of the advance fish	bet Psc
	τῶν ἐν τῷ κραυίῳ αὐτοῦ β’ ὁ νοτιώτερος.	The southernrnost of the 2 stars in the top of its head	gam Psc
	ὁ βορειότερος αὐτῶν.	The northernmost of them	7 Psc
	τῶν ἐν τῷ νώτῳ β ὁ προηγούμενος.	The more advanced of the 2 stars in the back	tet Psc
	ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν	The rearmost of them	iot Psc
	τῶν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ β ὁ προηγούμενος	The more advanced of the 2 stars in the belly	kap Psc
	ὁ ἑπόμευος αὐτῶν.	The rearmost of them	lam Psc
	ὁ ἐν τῇ οὐρᾷ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰχθύος	The star in the tail of the sarne [ advance] fish	ome Psc
	τῶν κατὰ τὸ λίνον αὐτοῦ ὁ πρῶτος ἀπὸ τῆς οὐρᾶς	The stars forrning its fishing-line: the first after the tail	41 Psc
	ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν	The stars forrning its fishing-line: the one to the rear	51 Psc
	τῶν ἐφεξῆς λαμπρῶν ἢ ὁ προηγούμενος	The stars forrning its fishing-line: the most advanced of the 3 following bright Stars	del Psc
	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν	The stars forrning its fishing-line: the middle one of these	eps Psc
	ὁ ἐπόμενος τῶν τριῶν.	The stars forrning its fishing-line: the rearmost of the three	zet Psc
	τῶν ὑπ’ αὐτοὺς ἐν καμπῇ μικρῶν β’ ὁ βορειότερος	The stars forrning its fishing-line: the northernmost of the 2 small stars under these, in the bend	80 Psc
	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν	The stars forrning its fishing-line: the southernmost of them	89 Psc
	τῶν μετὰ τὴν καμπὴν ἢ ὁ προηγούμενος.	The stars forrning its fishing-line: the must advanccd of the 3 stars aftcr the bend	mu Psc
	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν	The stars forrning its fishing-line: thc middle one of thesc	nu Psc
	ὁ ἑπόμενος τῶν τριῶν.	The stars forrning its fishing-line: thc rearmost of thc three	xi Psc
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ συνδέσμου τῶν β λίνων	Tbc star on the knot joining the 2 fishing-lines	alf Psc
	τῶν ἐν τῷ βορείῳ λίνῳ ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ συυδέσμου προηγούμενος	Stars in the northern fishing-line: thc first in the section beginning at thc knot	omi Psc
	τῶν μετ’ αὐτὸν ἐφεξῆς γ’ ὁ νότιος.	Stars in the northern fishing-line: the Southemmost of the 3 stars following after that	pi Psc
	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν.	Stars in the northern fishing-line: thc middle one of thcse	eta Psc
	ὁ βόρειος τῶν γ καὶ ἐπ’ ἄκρας τῆς οὐρᾶς:	Stars in the northern fishing-line: the northernmost of the 3, which is also on the end of the tail	rho Psc
	τῶν ἐν τῷ στόματι τοῦ ἐπομένου Ἰχθύος β ὁ βορειότερος,	The northemmost of the 2 stars in the mouth of thc rear fish	82 Psc
	ὁ νότιος αὐτῶν.	The southemmost of thcm	tau Psc
	τῶν ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ ἢ μικρῶν ὁ ἐπόμενος.	The rearmost of thc 3 small stars in the head	68 Psc
	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν.	The middle one or thcse	67 Psc
	ὁ προηγούμενος τῶν τριῶν	The most advanccd of the three	65 Psc
	τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ρωτιαίας ἀκάνθηςἢ μετὰ τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀγκῶνος. τῆς Ἀνδρομέδας ὁ προηγούμενος	The most advanced of the 3 stars on the spinc in the back fo!lowing [i.e. to the tear of] the star on the elbow of Andromeda	psi1 Psc
	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν	The midclle one of the thrcc	psi2 Psc
	ὁ ἐπόμενος τῶν τριῶν.	Thc rearmost of thc three	chi Psc
	τῶν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ β ὁ βορειότερος.	The northernmast of the 2 stars in the belly	ups Psc
	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν.	The southernmost of them	phi Psc
	ὁ ἐν τῇ ἐπομένῃ ἀκάνθη περὶ τὴν οὐράῃ.	The star in the rear spine, near the tail	psi3 Psc
	ἀστέρες λδ, ὧν γ’ μεγέθους β, δ’ κῇ, ε’7, ς ξ-	34 stars, 2 of the third magnitude, 22 of the fourth, 3 of the fifth, 7 of the sixth
	Οἱ περὶ τοὺς Ἰχθύας ἀμόρφωτοι.	Stars round Pisces outside the constellatian:
	τοῦ ὑπὸ τὸν ἠγούμενον Ἰχθὺν τετραπλεύρου τῶν βορείων β ὁ ἠγούμενος.	The quadrilateral under the advance fish: the more advanced of the 2 northern stars
	ὁ ἐπόμενος αὐτῶν.	The quadrilateral under the advance fish: the rearmost of them
	τῆς νοτίου πλευρᾶς ὁ προηγούμευος.	The quadrilateral under the advance fish: the more advanced star on the sauthern siele
	ὁ ἐπόμενος τῆς νοτίου πλευρᾶς.	The quadrilateral under the advance fish: the rearmost ane on the southern siele
	ἀστέρες ὁ μεγέθους δ΄.	4 stars of the fourth magnitude

References

• References (general)
• References (Babylonian)
• References (ancient Greco-Roman)
• References (medieval)