The origin of the greek constellations

Authors

Bradley E. Schaefer, Louisiana State University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2006

Abstract

Astronomy and archaeology have revealed the history of constellations. The origins of the Greek constellations from a patchwork of sources superimposed on the sky lie so far and some points can only be reasonable speculation. Constellations consider an intellectual aspect of prehistoric society. The societies put constellations tracks in the uses that moves from religious to folk to practical to scientific usages. The constellation called the Triangle provides a good example of how the Greeks adopted the Mesopotamian stars. The two written sources from the Greeks, the epics of Homer and the farmer's almanac of Hesiod, mention two prominent constellations, two star clusters, and two stars. Despite the heavy reliance on Mesopotamian star groups, the Greek system of constellations still has 18 star pictures that should be discovered.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Scientific American

First Page

96

Last Page

101

Recommended Citation

Schaefer, B. (2006). The origin of the greek constellations. Scientific American, 295 (5), 96-101. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican1106-96