Aquila

Aquila, The Eagle, is one of the official IAU-constellations. Its history goes back to a Sumerian constellations (TI₈, The Eagle or The Vulture) in the same area of the sky.

Etymology and History

"Aquila" is the Latin transtlation of the Ancient Greek term which is the translation of an Akkadian term which is the translation of a Sumerian term. It is unknown whether the Sumerians distinguished betwen eagles and vultures. The Greek term and mythology clearly refer to an eagle as a symbol of divine power, but the original Sumerian constellation might have had a different context: as it was placed next to the Sumerian constellation of The Corpse, the bird might have been considered a vulture.

Origin of constellation

The constellation is listed in MUL.APIN's first list.

References

Weblinks

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