Sagittarius

Sgr star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).

One of the 88 IAU constellations. Originally, it depicted the Mesopotamian god Pabilsaĝ, a god of agriculture and war, later equated with Ninurta and depicted as a mixed creature of a human body attaced to horse body with wings and an additional scorpion tail. This complex image was simplified in Greek reception, and there drawn as a centaur.

Etymology and History

profile of the figure of Pabilsag from a 12th century BC kudurru. è.c. (Roland Laffitte 2023)

The Greek constellation ...

earliest known Greek depiction: Kugel Globe (1st c. BCE): two centaurs in Cen and Sgr with Lup+Ara in between (drawing by SMH 2024).

Origin of Constellation

Greco-Roman

Aratus

[300] After much suffering at sea even in the previous month, when the sun inflames the bow and the Drawer of the bow, you should put ashore in the evening and not continue to trust the night. A sign of that season and that month will be the rising of the Scorpion at the end of night. [305] The Archer actually draws his great bow near the sting; the rising Scorpion stands a little ahead of him, and he then rises shortly after. At that time the head of Cynosura runs very high up at the end of night, and just before dawn Orion sets entirely, and Cepheus from hand to waist. (Kidd 1997)

Hyginus, Astronomica

Many have called this sign the Centaurus; others deny the name, for the reason that no Centaurus makes use of arrows. The question is raised, too why he is formed with horse flanks but a Satyr's tail. Some say that he is Crotus, son of Eupheme, nurse of the Muses. As Sositheus, writer of tragedies, says, he had his home on Mount Helicon and took his pleasure in the company of the Muses, sometimes even following the pursuit of hunting. He attained great fame for his diligence, for he was very swift in the woods, and clever in the arts. As a reward for his zeal the Muses asked Jove to represent him in some star group, and Jove did so. Since he wished to display all his skills in one body, he gave him horse flanks because he rode a great deal. He added arrows, since these would show both his keenness and his swiftness, and he gave him a Satyr's tail because the Muses took no less pleasure in Crotus than Liber did in the Satyrs. Before his feet are a few stars arranged in a circle, which some said were a wreath, thrown off as by one at play. (Mary Ward 1960)

Almagest Τοξότης.

id	Greek (Heiberg 1898)	English (Toomer 1984)	ident.
	Τοξότου ἀστερισμός.	Constellation of Sagittarius
1	ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀκύδος τοῦ βέλους	The star on the point of the arrow	gam Sgr
2	ὁ ἐν τῇ λαβῇ τῆς ἀριστερᾶρ χειρός	The star in the [bow-Jgrip held by the left hand	del Sgr
3	ὁ ἐν τῷ νοτίῳ μέρει τοῦ τόξου	The star in the Southern portion of the bow	eps Sgr
4	τῶν ἐν τῷ βορείῳ μέρει τοῦ τόξου ὁ νοτιώτερος	The southernmost of the [2] stars in the northern portion of the bow	lam Sgr
5	ὁ βορειότερος αὐτῶν ἐπ’ ἄκρου τοῦ τόξου.	The northernmost of these, on the tip of the bow	mu Sgr
6	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ἅμου.	The star on the left shoulder	sig Sgr
	ὁ τούτου προηγούμενος κατὰ τοῦ βέλους	The one in advance of this, just over the arrow	phi Sgr
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ νεφελοειδὴς καὶ διπλοῦς,	The star on the eye, which is nebulous and double	nu1 + nu2 Sgr
	τῶν ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ γ’ ὁ ἠγούμενος.	The most advanced of the 3 stars in the head	xi Sgr
	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν	The middle one of these	omi Sgr
	ὁ ἐπόμενος τῶν τριῶ.	The reannost of the three	pi Sgr
	τῶν ἐν τῇ βορεύῳ ἐφαπτίδι γ’ ὁ κότιος.	The southernmost of the 3 stars in the northern cloak·attachment	43 Sgr
	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν	The middle one of these	rho Sgr
	ὁ βόρειος τῶν τριῶη	The northernmost of the three	ups Sgr
	ὁ ἐπόμενος τοῦς τρισὶν ἀμαυρός	The faint sfar to the rear of these three	55 Sgr
	τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς νοτίου ἐφαπτίδος β ὁ βορειότερος;	The northernmost of the 2 stars on the southern cloak-attachment	61 Sgr
	ὁ νοτιώτερος αὐτῶν	The southernmost of them	57 Sgr
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ ὥμου.	The star on the right shoulder	chi1 Sgr
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ ἀγκῶνος..	The star on the right elbow	51+52 Sgr
	τῶν ἐν τῷ νώτῳ ἡ ὁ κατὰ τοῦ μεταφρένου.	The three stars in the back: the one just above the place between the shoulders	psi Sgr
	ὁ μέσος αὐτῶν καὶ κατὰ τῆς ὡμοπλάτης.	The three stars in the back: the middle one, just above the shoulder-blade	tau Sgr
	ὁ λοιπὸς καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν μασχάλην.	The three stars in the back: the other one, under the armpit	zet Sgr
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐμπροσθίου καὶ ἀριστεροῦ σφυροῦ	The star on the front left hock	bet1 + bet2 Sgr
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ γόνατος τοῦ αὐτοῦ ποδός	The one on the knee of the same leg	alf Sgr
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐμπροσθίου καὶ δεξιοῦ σφυροῦ	The star on the front right hock	eta Sgr
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ μηροῦ	The star on the left thigh	kap1 + kap2 Sgr
	ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὀπισθύου δεξιοῦ πήχεως.	The star on the right hind lower leg	iot Sgr
	τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐκφύσει τῆς οὐρᾶς ὃ τῆς βορείου πλευρᾶς ὁ προηγούμερος	The four stars [forming a quadrilateral] in the place where the tail joins [the body]: the advance star on the northern side	omega Sgr
	ὁ ἐπόμενος τῆς βορείου πλευρᾶς.	The four stars [forming a quadrilateral] in the place where the tail joins [the body]: the rear star on the northern side	60 Sgr
	τῆς νοτίου πλευρᾶς ὁ προηγούμενος.	The four stars [forming a quadrilateral] in the place where the tail joins [the body]: the advance star on the southern side	59 Sgr
	ὁ ἐπόμενος τῆς νοτίου πλευρᾶς	The four stars [forming a quadrilateral] in the place where the tail joins [the body]: the rear star on the southern side	62 Sgr
	ἀστέρες λα, ὧν β’ μεγέθους β, γ’ 3, δ’ θ, εη, σ’ β, νεφελοειδής	{31 stars, 2 of the second magnitude, 9 of the third, 9 of the fourth, 8 of the fifth, 2 of the sixth, [1] nebulous

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

• 

  Babylonian "Sagittarius", Dictionnaire des Antiquités grecques et romaines, Daremberg et Saglio, article Zodiaque, vol. V 2. Source : Wikisource, https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Dictionnaire_des_Antiquit%C3%A9s_grecques_et_romaines_-_Daremberg_-_V_2.djvu/444

• 

  Kugel Globe (1st c. BCE): Sgr, CrA and Sco

• 

  Sagittarius in Hevelius (1690)

• 

  Sagittarius in Flamsteed (1776).

• 

  Bode (1805) Sagittarius and Sobieski's Shield

• 

  Sgr in Jamieson (1822)

• 

  Sagittarius in Sidney Hall (1825) Urania's Mirror.

References

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