Ancient Roman Eagle - Biblical Archaeology in Rome (Bible History Online) Ancient Roman Eagle Did Eagles Carry Emperors Into Heaven? This painting represents a Roman Eagle also called the 'Aquila". The eagle (aquila) was the bird of Jupiter. In ancient times the eagle was a symbol of strength and courage, and immortality. The eagle was believed to be the king of the birds that could ascend above the storm, and become the messenger of the gods. According to ancient mythology the eagle would carry the soul into the presence of the gods, Zeus to the Greeks, Jupiter to the Roman, and Odin to the tribes of Germania. The silver eagle was the ensign of the Roman Legion and the symbol of its power. The legatus was the officer in charge, and he would assign an aquilifer who was the soldier that would carry the aquila (eagle) into battle. If the eagle was captured the legion would disband. It is interesting that Julius Caesar personally sanctified the eagle when the legion was brought forth. On one of the legion standards the powerful talons of the eagle are gripping golden thunderbolts, as the eagle stands ready for flight against all enemies of Rome.

At the very top of the standard above the eagle is a gold bar with the inscription SPQR (Senatus Populus Romanus) honoring the Senate and the People. The ancient Roman eagle is important in the study of Biblical archaeology. As with the ancient Hebrews the eagle symbolizes divinity, the bird that comes from above. Deuteronomy 28:49 - The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, [as swift] as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; The silver eagle was the ensign of the Roman Legion and the symbol of its power. AQUILA. The eagle, the principal ensign of the Roman legion (Plin. H. N. X. 5.), made of silver or bronze, and with expanded wings, as shown above. The Aquila was the eagle standard of a Roman legion, carried by a special grade legionary known as an Aquilifer. One eagle standard was carried by each legion. Pliny the Elder (H.N. x.16) enumerates five animals displayed on Roman military ensigns: the eagle, the wolf, the minotaur, the horse, and the boar.

In the second consulship of Gaius Marius (104 BC) the four quadrupeds were laid aside as standards, the eagle being alone retained. It was made of silver, or bronze, with outstretched wings, but was probably of a relatively small size, since a standard-bearer (signifer) under Julius Caesar is said in circumstances of danger to have wrenched the eagle from its staff and concealed it in the folds of his girdle. Under the later emperors the eagle was carried with the legion, a legion being on that account sometimes called aquila (Hirt. Bell. Hisp. 30). Each cohort had for its own ensign the serpent or dragon, which was woven on a square piece of cloth textilis anguis, elevated on a gilt staff, to which a cross-bar was adapted for the purpose, and carried by the draconarius. [Wikipedia] The centurio also chose the standard bearer, or ensign of his century {signifer or vexillarius). Each century was also divided into bodies often, each of which was commanded by a decurio or decanus.

The first centurion of the triarii was called primipilus ; he had charge of the eagle, and he commanded the whole legion under the tribunes. The light-armed troops were also formed into bands or centuries, each of which was commanded by a centurion. [Rome] "The centurion rode in front of the eagle." The Eagle (Aquila) was a military ensign usually carried by an aquilifer The Eagle was the principal ensign of the legions of Rome The eagle symbolized strength, courage, farsightedness and immortality. It is considered to be the king of the air and the messenger of the highest Gods. Mythologically, it is connected by the Greeks with the God Zeus, by the Romans with Jupiter, by the Germanic tribes with Odin [Wikipedia] Vexilloid of the Roman Empire. The Roman Legion. The first of the cohorts, which bore the name of cohors millitaria, was superior to the others, both with respect to the number and quality of the soldiers; it had also the charge of the eagle and the standard of the emperor.

Its strength was 1105 foot-soldiers, and 132 cuirassiers on horseback, and its post was on the right of the first line. The remaining four cohorts of the first line contained each 555 infantry and 66 cavalry, and the five cohorts of the second line contained each the same number of infantry and cavalry. Thus the whole legion was composed of 6100 foot-soldiers and 726 horsemen, not including either the triarii or the light troops. [Rome] The apotheosis of Titus (Divus) on the upper portion of the Arch of Titus (Arous Titi). He is being carried up to heaven. APOTHEOSIS, the enrolment of a mortal among the gods...When all this is done, the others set fire to it on every side, which easily catches hold of the faggots and aromatics and from the highest and smallest story, as from a pinnacle, an eagle is let loose to mount into the sky as the fire ascends, which is believed by the Romans to carry the soul of the emperor from earth to heaven ; and from that time he is worshipped with the other gods.

[Rome] The apotheosis of Augustus on an onyx stone in the Royal Museum of Paris Coin bearing the eagle (aquila) symbol for ancient Rome COINS. In ancient Rome it was common to see on medals struck in honour of an apotheosis an altar with fire on it, and an eagle, the bird of Jupiter, with thunderbolt taking flight into the air. The number of medals of this description is very numerous. Certain coins trace the names of sixty individuals, who received the honours of an apotheosis, from the time of Julius Caesar to that of Constantine the Great. [Rome] Eagle in the pediment of the Temple dedicated to Jupiter with outstretched wings Guard; Sentinels. Out of the twenty maniples of Principes and Triarii in each legion, two were appointed to take charge of the broad passage or street called Prindpia, extending right across the camp in front of the tents of the tribunes.

This being the place of general resort during the day, and, as we know from various sources, the part of the camp in which the altars and the eagles stood, great pains were taken that it should be kept perfectly clean and regularly watered, a labour which would rail very light when portioned out among four maniples. Aquilifer bearing standard with eagle AQUILIFER. ensign of a Roman legion, who carried the eagle. (Goes. B. G. v. 37. Suet. Aug. 10.). There was but one aquilifer to each legion, though there were many signiferi, or standard bearers. (Veget. Mil. ii. 13. Compare Tac. Ann. i. 39. and 61.) The example is taken from the Column of Trajan, on which an ensign carrying the eagle is several times represented, with the skin of a wild beast over his head and back, in the same manner as here shown. [Rome] Roman Legion bearing eagle ensign Signa militaria.

Military standards or ensigns, including, in reality, the eagle (aquila), which was the general ensign of the entire legion; but more commonly used with reference to the different standards belonging to each separate maniple and cohort, as distinct from the eagle. Cat. ii. 6. Tac. Hist. 11. 29. Tac. Ann. i. 18.) The illustration, a medal, shows the eagle between two standards of cohorts ; the name of each ensign is enumerated in the Classed Index, and an example given under its own denomination. [Rich] Roman coin of Vespasian (76 AD) bearing eagle The eagle and the lion above the column capital A bronze eagle and dolphin were at the center of the chariot races of ancient Rome. The Bible also mentions he 'Eagle" Ezekiel 1:10 - As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Ezekiel 10:14 - And every one had four faces: the first face [was] the face of a cherub, and the second face [was] the face of a man, and the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. Jeremiah 49:16 - Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, [and] the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD. Revelation 4:7 - And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle. Micah 1:16 - Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.

Ezekiel 17:3 - And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: Ezekiel 17:7 - There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. Deuteronomy 28:49 - The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, [as swift] as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; Revelation 12:14 - And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Leviticus 11:13 - And these [are they which] ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they [are] an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, Deuteronomy 32:11 - As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: Jeremiah 49:22 - Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. Obediah 1:4 - Though thou exalt [thyself] as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.

Habakkuk 1:8 - Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle [that] hasteth to eat. Proverbs 23:5 - Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for [riches] certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Hosea 8:1 - [Set] the trumpet to thy mouth. [He shall come] as an eagle against the house of the LORD, because they have transgressed my covenant, and trespassed against my law. Job 39:27 - Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? Jeremiah 48:40 - For thus saith the LORD; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab. Job 9:26 - They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle [that] hasteth to the prey.

Proverbs 30:19 - The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid. Leviticus 11:18 - And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, Deuteronomy 14:17 - And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, Deuteronomy 14:12 - But these [are they] of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, Roman Empire Eagle Symbol Sculpture Reproduction Replica | Birds Wall Plaque Product Reviews Details The eagle was the symbol of the mighty Roman Empire, of the Roman emperors such as Caesar, as well as mythological symbol representing the Greek god Zeus. It appears frequently in the ancient Greek art, Hellenistic art, and Roman art. Specification Made of cast stone. Cast stone is a type of gypsum cement whose properties are much different from plaster of paris which is what most sculpture shops use.

Unlike plaster, which is soft, light and weak, cast stone is hard, heavy and strong. Cast stone feels like, and is heavy like a real stone would be, which can be experienced as soon you try to lift it. This item is also available in other color finishes - if you like other then the pictured finish, please chose from the pull down menu above. To see pictures of our cast stone finishes please visit our "Cast Stone Sculptures FAQ". There is no extra charge for any other finish you chose. Payment PayPal, VISA, MC, AmEx, Google Checkout, checks, bank transfers accepted Shipping Ships within a week. We ship worldwide but the displayed shipping cost applies to US and Canada only. Please contact us to obtain shipping cost quote if you are not ordering from US/Canada. Return Policy Ancient Sculpture Gallery stands behind its merchandise. Returns are accepted within 30 days. You may exchange this item or receive a refund for your return, provided the item is returned undamaged in original condition.

Write Your Own Review You're reviewing: Roman Eagle plaque *Nickname Roman eagle found by archaeologists in City of London | Science | The Guardian Archaeology Roman eagle found by archaeologists in City of London The 1,800-year-old sculpture of the imperial symbol is regarded as one of the best pieces of Romano-British art ever found A conservator cleaning the sculpture of a Minories eagle and serpent which was discovered in the City of London. Photograph: Andy Chopping/MOLA/PA Tuesday 29 October 2013 11.04 EDT First published on Tuesday 29 October 2013 11.04 EDT Close This article is 3 years old A superb Roman eagle in near pristine condition, serpent prey wriggling in its beak, has been found by archaeologists in the City of London . A symbol of immortality and power, it was carefully preserved when the aristocratic tomb it decorated was smashed up more than 1,800 years ago – and is regarded as one of the best pieces of Romano-British art ever found.

The preservation is so startling that the archaeologists who found it a few weeks ago at the bottom of a ditch, on the last day of an excavation on a development site at the Minories, were worried in case they had unearthed a Victorian garden ornament. Excitement spread as it became clear from the context that it really was Roman – but carved in Britain, from Cotswold limestone. Archaeologists are itching to research it further but first after a quick clean – and a frame to support the only damage, a broken wing – it is going on display for six months at the Museum of London , just 30 days from ditch to gallery. Martin Henig, an internationally renowned expert on Roman art, said: "The sculpture is of exceptional quality, the finest sculpture by a Romano-British artist ever found in London, and amongst the very best statues surviving from Roman Britain. Its condition is extraordinary, as crisp as on the day it was carved.

All it has lost is the surface paint, probably washed away when it was deposited in a ditch." The only comparable find in Britain is the sad stump of a bird, lacking head, wings and feet, found at a Roman villa site at Keynsham in Somerset in the 1920s. The closest from across the Roman empire was an eagle and serpent found in Jordan, now in the Cincinnati Art Museum . Eagles are found across the empire, usually as symbols of imperial clout, but they were also used as funerary emblems: there are extraordinary contemporary accounts of live eagles trapped within the funeral pyres of emperors, freed to soar towards the sky as the flames crackled, symbolising the moment when the dead man became a god. The London eagle was carved in the first century AD, at a time when the Roman city was exploding in population and wealth. It is believed to have stood on an imposing mausoleum, on the roadside edge of the eastern cemetery just outside the city walls. The road was once lined with the monuments of the wealthiest citizens, like the Via Appia outside Rome.

Possibly only a few decades later, many of the monuments were demolished – probably as ownership of the plots changed and new ones were built. There is even evidence suggesting that some of the old bones were left scattered in the open air. Most of the stone was reused as hardcore or building stone, but the eagle was carefully laid into a ditch, probably just beside its former perch. Michael Marshall, finds expert at Museum of London Archaeology , believes that a superstitious awe probably protected such a powerful religious symbol, even when the tomb of its original owner became builders' rubble. There it lay for almost 2,000 years, surviving in almost pristine condition while Tudor cellars, Victorian warehouses and 20th century concrete piling punched through the earth all around it, until the Monday morning last month – the last day of the excavation before a 16-storey hotel is built on the site. When Antoinetta Lerz and David Sankey lifted the mud-caked lump of stone from the ground, they set it on the edge of their pit, and first began to clean off the clay with a trowel – and then as they saw the delicacy of the carving, with a dentist's pick.

When they had revealed a wing and the sharp beaked head was emerging, they phoned site supervisor Simon Davis to suggest nervously that they thought they had found something extraordinary. "We were a bit nervous at first about proclaiming it as Roman, because the condition was so extraordinary," Davis said. The bird's front is intricately carved, but the back is flattened and plain – like a Staffordshire china mantelpiece dog – suggesting that it was originally sheltered by a niche, or stood within a tomb building. Scattered animal bones and pottery nearby suggest funeral feasts or that family members revisited the tomb to dine with the spirits of their dead. Serpents could be either benevolent symbols or harbingers of evil: some eagle and serpent carvings show the two beasts quite companionably entwined. There is nothing benevolent about the London serpent, carved wreathed around the bird, its tongue still flickering on the feathery chest, but the great beak is about to snap shut: "It's all over for the snake – it just doesn't know it yet," Michael Marshall said. The eagle's triumph is greater because the snake is equipped with an alarming row of sharp teeth.

"This may suggest that the artist had never got up close and personal with a snake," Marshall said. "We did have a go at identifying the species of snake when we had some zoologists in – but they just said 'it's a snake'." Double-headed eagle - OrthodoxWiki Double-headed eagle Modern sketch of Double-headed eagle. The double-headed eagle is the most recognizable symbol of Orthodoxy today (other than the cross) and was the official state symbol of the late Byzantine Empire , symbolising the unity between the Byzantine Orthodox Church and State, which was governed by the principle of Symphonia or Synallelia, that is, a "symphony" between the civil and the ecclesiastical functions of Christian society. In addition, the heads of the eagle also represent the dual sovereignity of the Byzantine Emperor, with the left head representing Rome (the West) and the right head representing Constantinople (the East). The claws of the eagle hold a cross and an orb (this combination is on the official flag of the Ecumenical Patriarchate today), or in some similar depictions with a sword and an orb.

History Emperor Isaacius Comnenus (11th century AD), the first ruling member of the Comnenus dynasty, was the first Emperor who adopted the two headed eagle as the symbol of the Empire. Palaiologos family The yellow with a black crowned double-headed eagle flag, was the symbol of the Paleologues, the last Greek-speaking "Roman" (i.e. Byzantine) dynasty to rule from Constantinople. Emperor Michael VIII Paliologos recaptured Constantinople from the Crusaders in 1261, from a state based in Asia Minor; the double-headed eagle symbolized the dynasty's interests in both Asia and Europe, and was kept despite the fact that virtually all of the Asian possessions were gobbled up by the Ottomans within a generation of the recapture of the City. Michael's descendants stayed on the Byzantine throne until the City and the Empire fell to the Ottomans in 1453. This flag had in the two centuries of Paleologan rule become identified not just with the dynasty but with the Empire itself and, more generally, with institutions and cultural ideas outside the Byzantine Empire that still remained centered on Constantinople.

Orthodox provenance of the double-headed eagle The following gallery shows heraldic usages of the double-headed eagle in the history of the Orthodox Church , including: its use beginning in the theocratic Byzantine Empire its use by Orthodox churches today, and modern secular usages by some Orthodox nations. The double-headed eagle, the most recognized emblem of the Byzantine Empire , with the dynastic cypher of the Palaiologoi in the center. Flag of the Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologoi, early 15th c., with Emblem (Eagle) and Arms (4 Greek letter B's) shown. The acronym reads: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΩΝ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣΙΝ - "King of Kings ruling over Kings". Byzantine Empire emblem. The double headed eagle as standing in the front entrance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Official Flag of both the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and Mount Athos , as well as of the Greek Orthodox Churches in the diaspora under the Patriarchate. Claws are holding a Cross and an Orb.

Insignia on the floorspace in the courtyard of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul of the Greeks (Naples, Italy) . Flag of the Haida people , an indigenous nation of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. (This flag shows the Tlingit "lovebirds", the Raven and Eagle, representing the two major Tlingit clans. It looks similar to the Russian Imperial crest. Emblem of Church of Constantinople and Mount Athos The modern double-headed eagle flag for the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and of Mount Athos , features the eagle with a cross in the right claw symbolizing spiritual authority, and an orb in the left symbolizing secular authority. Above the eagle, is a crown, and the background colour of the flag is yellow or gold. (see image above). This flag is often used also by the Greek Orthodox Churches in the diaspora under the Patriarchate as their official flag (such as in America, Canada, Australia, etc), and is not to be confused with the double-headed eagle used by the Church of Greece . Having said that, many monasteries and churches in Greece do currently fly this golden/yellow flag, for historical reasons.

Emblem of Russian Empire and Modern Russia The two major symbolic elements of Russian state and church symbols (the two-headed eagle and St. George slaying the dragon) predate Peter the Great. The double-headed eagle was adopted by Ivan III after his marriage with the Byzantine princess Sophia Paleologo, whose uncle Constantine was the last Byzantine Emperor. After the Fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, Ivan III and his heirs considered Moscow to be the last stronghold of the Christian faith, and in effect, the last Roman Empire (hence the expression " Third Rome " for Moscow and - by extension - for the whole of Imperial Russia). From 1497, on the double-headed eagle proclaimed a Russian sovereignty equal to that of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. The first remained evidence of the double-headed eagle officialised as an emblem of Russia is on the great prince's seal, stamped in 1497 on a Charter of share and allotment of independent princes' possessions. At the same time the image of gilded double-headed eagle on red background appeared on the walls of the Palace of Facets in the Kremlin.

Diffusion from Byzantium to various usages The two-headed Byzantine Eagle is currently the emblem on the Flags of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and of Mount Athos , as well as those of Serbia, Albania and Montenegro. It has also become the Coat of Arms of modern States including Serbia, Russia, Albania, and most recently Montenegro. The historic spread of its use occurred because the nations that officially adopted Orthodox Christianity - the religion of the Eastern Roman Empire (ΡΩΜΑΝΙΑ/Romania) - as their state religion, had the right to bear the byzantine eagle on their arms if they wanted to, with the corollary that the bearing of the byzantine eagle in gold was a priviledge that only belonged to the sovereign of Constantinople. [1] (See for example, the image of the Imperial Palaeologan eagle, above). Therefore, the Serbian eagle is depicted in silver.

Russia also had the eagle in silver but they changed it to gold (probably in the 15th century after the marriage of Ivan III, Grand Duke of Moscow with Sophia Palaeologina, the daughter of the last Byzantine Emperor & after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans), to justify their claim as the "third Rome". Austria on the other hand, earned the right to bear the byzantine eagle, after the marriage of the first German Emperor Otto I in 972, with the niece of Byzantine Emperor Ioannis Tzimiskes, Theophano (and of course the Austrian Empire claimed to be the continuation of the Holy Roman Empire of the Germans). They adopted the byzantine eagle, in black though, as the "shadow of the Imperial Eagle". [2] . Use on coats of arms The two-headed eagle appears on the coat of arms of the following countries [3] : Double-headed eagle Double-headed eagle Next Two-headed eagle emblem of the Byzantine Empire. Relief from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Istanbul) The double headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology.

Several Eastern European nations use this symbol today, having adopted this symbol from the Byzantine Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor (secular and religious) and/or dominance of the Roman Emperors over both East and West. The Russian tsars adopted the symbol both to position themselves as successors to the Byzantine state and to likewise symbolize their dominion over the west (Europe) and the east (Asia). The two-headed eagle appears on the coat of arms of the following countries: Albania It also appears on the following flags: Flag of Albania the flag of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. the flag of Mount Athos Contents 8 External links Origins Double headed eagles have been present in imagery for many centuries. A representation of a two-headed woman dating from 6000 BC was discovered in ï¿½atalhï¿½yï¿½k (Turkey) one of the oldest cities in the world. Therefore, the apparition of the two-headed eagle is very old, because it can be found in archeologic remains of the Hittite civilization dating from a period that goes between the 20th century BC and the 13th century BC.

First, cylindric seals discovered in Bogazkoy, nowday (Turkey), an old Hittite capital, represents clearly a two-headed eagle with spread wings. The esthetic of this symmetric position explains in part the birth of this religious figure. It probably dates from the 18th century BC, and was used in a tradesman background. This symbol can also be seen in the same region in two monumental realisations : in Alacahï¿½yï¿½k (around 1400 BC) and in Yazilikaya (Turkey). (before 1250 BC). Here the context looks different and totally religious. The eagle becomes divinity's symbol. The two-headed eagle slowly disappears during the last Hittite period, from the 9th century BC to the 7th century BC and totally disappears after the end of the empire. Byzantine Empire Example of the use of the double-headed eagle on imperial vestments, from a chrysobull of Alexios III of Trebizond, mid-14th century. A double-headed eagle portrayed in a stained glass window inside St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

Constantinople was the successor of Rome, and the Byzantines continued the use of the old imperial 'single-headed' eagle motif. Although the roots of the transformation to double-headed are almost certainly connected with old depictions in Asia Minor, the details of its adoption are uncertain. Beyond any doubt, it was used in the wider area during the first centuries AD and certainly before the 10th century AD, as it appears in Persian and Armenian art. According to the most prevalent theory, the imperial Roman single-headed eagle was modified to double-headed by emperor Isaakios Komnenos being influenced from local traditions about such a beast (the haga) in his native Paphlagonia in Asia Minor. Local legends talked about this giant eagle with two heads that could easily hold a bull in its claws; the haga was seen as a representation of power, and people would often "call" it for protection. Isaakios Komnenos, deeply influenced by these beliefs, had already used it as a family emblem (N. Zapheiriou, "the Greek Flag from Antiquity to present", Athens, 1947).

As there has been reference to "stone representations" of the eagle that were the inspiration for its picture, it is reasonable to assume that Hittite carvings may have been the sources of the myths themselves, but other relevant artwork cannot be excluded as such a source. Whether the eagle became an "imperial" symbol or remained purely a personal symbol for Komnenos, is not clear. After the Latin conquest of Constantinople in 1204, it was used by the successor states of Epirus and Nicaea. The first mention of a double-headed eagle in the West dates from 1250 in a roll of arms of Matthew of Paris for Emperor Friedrich II. Theodore II Laskaris chose it for his symbol as Emperor (Empire of Nicaea), taking it to symbolize his state's claims to all the Byzantine Empire's former domains, both European (West) and Asian (East). An alternative (and probably more correct) interpretation is that the eagle symbolized the Emperor's double temporal and spiritual sovereignty.

After the recapture of Constantinople and the restoration of the Byzantine Empire, the symbol was used as an emblem of the imperial family, but it is uncertain whether it was the official emblem of the Empire. More recent research has suggested that it was not, its usage being limited to imperial seals and other personal or dynasty symbols such as imperial robes, although there has been no depiction of any Emperor wearing it. The role of "state" symbols was most probably played by flags with the cross. In Byzantine usage, the eagle was almost always connected with colors of imperial power (gold and red). A black eagle on golden background was used outside the imperial family, denoting the subordinate position (the eagle was black as being the 'shadow' of the Emperor's golden eagle) of their bearers. Use by the Turks The double-headed eagle reappears in the same region, but after 2000 years. The double-headed eagle became the standard of the Seljuk Turks with the crowning of Toghrï¿½l (meaning "Eagle") Beg at Mosul in 1058 as "King of the East and the West" and was much used afterwards.

The Sultans of Rum, Ala ad-Din Kay Qubadh I (1220-1237) and his son Kay Khusrau II (1237-1246) used the bicephalous eagle in their standards, and the motif was also found on tissues, cut stones, mural squares, and Koran holders. Turcomans who ruled in Anatolia during the 13th century, inherited it from the Seljuk Turks. Islamic coins from the reign of Khalif Nasreddin Mahmoud bin Mohammad, following Turkish influence, sport a double-headed eagle on one side and the Star of David on the other as early as year 1200. The use of the symbol by the Turks has two possible explanations. First is the propagandist explanation: the eagle was a sign of grandeour and magnificance and it was to support the claim of Turkish rulers over the Roman imperial inheritance. Another explanation can be found in pre-Islamic Turkic shamanism, in which the eagle (one-headed) was the creature that would guide spirits to the afterlife. Today, the Turkish Police has a double-headed eagle in its insignia.

Use by other countries From Byzantium, two-headed eagles spread to Russia after Ivan III's marriage to Zoe Palaeologina, and to Montferrat, where a cadet branch of the Palaeologi ruled. The Serbian Nemanjić dynasty adopted a white version as their own to signify their own independence of, and indeed, claim to the imperial throne of Constantinople. George Kastriotis (Skanderbeg) adopted a similar flag in his struggle against the Ottomans, consisting of a black eagle on red background, which has been resurrected in the current Flag of Albania. After the fall of Constantinople, the black eagle also became the symbol of the Austrian Empire and thence passed into several families of the German aristocracy. During the next centuries, the eagle was made to hold a sword and/or a sceptre and an orb with a cross, symbols of the aforementioned double sovereignty. Its usage also survived as a decorative element in the Greek Orthodox Church, which was the inheritor of the Byzantine legacy during the Ottoman Empire, while it remained a popular symbol among Greeks.

In modern Greece various variations of the two-headed eagles are used in Church flags (based on Byzantine flag patterns) and, officially, by the Greek Army; the bird found its way into the Greek coat of arms for a brief period in 1925-1926. Use in Masonry The Double Headed Eagle of Lagash on the cover of Morals and Dogma. The Double-Headed Eagle of Lagash is used as emblem by the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry[1]. While there are many meanings attached to this symbol, [2] the famed Masonic author M. P. Hall declares it an alchemical symbol of union between the masculine and feminine principles in the individual. Use in fiction In the world of Warhammer 40,000, the double-headed eagle forms the crest of the Imperium of Man, earning it considerable religious and cultural significance. For this reason, it is not too uncommon to create actual double-headed eagles through surgery, mechanical proxy or genetic manipulation. When these are used to aid the abilities of a psyker, they are known as psyber-eagles.

In Namco's game, Tales of Symphonia, Aska, a golden, twin-headed bird who is one of the two Summon Spirits of Light is thought to have been inspired by the two-headed eagle.In Ragnarok Online the double-headed eagle appears ins many flags and buildings of the city of Prontera. In The Mouse that Roared and its sequels, the Double-headed eagle is on the national flag of Grand Fenwick. Use in sports The double-headed eagle is the emblem of the Greek sport clubs AEK (black eagle on yellow background) and PAOK (black eagle on white background). It is a symbol of the clubs' origins, since both clubs were founded by Greeks who fled to Greece from Constantinople in 1922-23. It is also the emblem of the Turkish Konyaspor.

[3] External links Roman Symbols Roman Symbols Collection of ancient and modern Roman Symbols Share the Symbols on this page: Tweet The Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a creature that was part man and part bull.[1] It dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction[2] built for King Minos of Crete and designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus who were ordered to build it to hold the Minotaur. The historical site of Knossos is usually identified as the site of the labyrinth. The Minotaur was eventually killed by Theseus. "Minotaur" is Greek for "Bull of Minos." The bull was known in Crete as Asterion, a name shared with Minos's foster father. Labrys is the term for a doubleheaded axe, known to the Classical Greeks as pelekys or sagaris, and to the Romans as a bipennis. The labrys symbolism is found in Minoan, Thracian, Greek, and Byzantine religion, mythology, and art, dating from the Middle Bronze Age onwards. The labrys also appears in African religious symbolism and mythology (see Shango).

The labrys was formerly a symbol of Greek fascism. Today it is sometimes used as a symbol of Hellenic Neopaganism. As an LGBT symbol it represents lesbianism and female or matriarchal power. Related Roman Symbols Jewelry Vesica Pisces silver The Mano Fico The mano fico, also called figa, is an Italian amulet of ancient origin. Examples have been found from the Roman era, and it was also used by the Etruscans. Mano means "hand" and fico or figa means "fig," with the idiomatic slang connotation of a woman's genitals. (An English slang equivalent might as well be "vagina hand.") It represents a hand gesture in which the thumb is thrust between the curled index and middle fingers in obvious imitation of hetorsexual intercourse. The asclepius wand, or asclepius rod is is an ancient Greek symbol associated with astrology and with healing the sick through medicine. The rod of Asclepius symbolizes the healing arts by combining the serpent, which in shedding its skin is a symbol of rebirth and fertility, with the staff, a symbol of authority befitting the god of Medicine.

The snake wrapped around the staff is widely claimed to be a species of rat snake, Elaphe longissima, also known as the Aesculapian or Asclepian snake. It is native to southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, and some central European spa regions, apparently brought there by Romans for their healing properties. The Solar Cross or Sun Cross features a circle around a cross, the solar cross has many variations including the one on this page. It is an ancient symbol; carvings of which were found in 1980 on the bases of Bronze-age burial urns at Southworth Hall Barrow, Croft, Cheshire, England and the urns date back to circa 1440 BC. This symbol has been used throughout history by different religions, groups and families (as a Japanese samurai family crest), eventually working its way into Christian iconography.

Fasces, a plurale tantum, from the Latin word fascis, symbolizes summary power and jurisdiction, and/or "strength through unity".[2] The traditional Roman fasces consisted of a bundle of white birch rods, tied together with a red leather ribbon into a cylinder, and often including a bronze axe (or sometimes two) amongst the rods, with the blade(s) on the side, projecting from the bundle. It was used as a symbol of the Roman Republic in many circumstances, including being carried in processions, much the way a flag might be carried today. The Omphalos - An omphalos is an ancient religious stone artifact, or baetylus. In Greek, the word omphalos means "navel" (compare the name of Queen Omphale). According to the ancient Greeks, Zeus sent out two eagles to fly across the world to meet at its center, the "navel" of the world. Omphalos stones used to denote this point were erected in several areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea; the most famous of those was at the oracle in Delphi. The Gorgon In Greek mythology, a so called gorgon, transl.

gorgo or gorgon, "terrible" or, according to some, "loud-roaring" was a vicious female monster with sharp fangs who was a protective deity from early religious concepts. Her power was so strong that anyone attempting to look upon her would be turned to stone; therefore, such images were put upon items from temples to wine kraters for protection. The Gorgon wore a belt of serpents that intertwined as a clasp, confronting each other. There were three of them: Medusa, Stheno and Euryale. Only Medusa was mortal, the other two are immortal. The labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (Greek labyrinthos) was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, a creature that was half man and half bull and was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus. Daedalus had made the Labyrinth so cunningly that he himself could barely escape it after he built it.

Theseus was aided by Ariadne, who provided him with a fateful thread, literally the "clew", or "clue", to wind his way back again. The bowl of Hygeia The Bowl of Hygeia symbol is the most widely recognized international symbol of pharmacy. In Greek mythology, Hygeia was the daughter and assistant of Aesculapius (sometimes spelled Asklepios), the God of Medicine and Healing. Hygeia's classical symbol was a bowl containing a medicinal potion with the serpent of Wisdom (or guardianship) partaking it. This is the same serpent of Wisdom, which appears on the caduceus, the staff of Aesculapius, which is the symbol of medicine. Cimaruta This is an ancient Italian amulet that is typically hung over an infant’s crib or worn around the neck. It is supposed to offer protection from the evil eye. It means the ‘sprig of rue’ and refers to the one of the most sacred Italian plants. The charm is made from silver and shaped as a rue sprig with 3 main branches. These symbolize the triple aspect of moon goddess (Diana Triformis) as a maiden, mother & crone.

Several small charms hang on the tips of the branches, such as key that represents access to knowledge and power; fish that is symbolic of fertility and abundance; hand to fend off evil effect; flower for protection; and crescent moon representing the horns of God. Knot of Hercules Also known as Heracles Knot, Love Knot and Marriage Knot, the Knot of Hercules is a famous Roman and Greek protective charm. This strong knot, made with two intertwined ropes, was considered an important part of a Roman bride's wedding dress. Hercules was regarded as the guardian of married life and so, the Knot of Hercules became symbolic of a happy and fruitful marriage. It was tied around the bride's waist and could be untied only by her husband. As the Knot of Hercules symbolized lasting love and commitment, it came to be used as love tokens during the medieval times. More Symbols: Two-Headed Eagle TWO-HEADED EAGLE Introduction The two-headed eagle consists of the body, wings and claws of an eagle and has two heads. It is of very old origin.

In the middleages it was the symbol of rank of a Roman caesar and was used by rulers wearing the title of kaiser, tsar and basileus, and also by rulers entitled imperator. These titles were used by those rulers governing one of the parts of the Roman Empire in the time of the tetrarchy when there were two caesares and two augusti each ruling a prefecture. The two-headed eagle was the successor of the gorgoneion of pagan times, as well as of the Christian Roman Empire after Constantine. A new weaving technique developed in Sassanian Persia at the turn of the fourth to the fifth century had made it possible to make patterns a part of the cloth itself. This may be the reason why the earliest two-headed eagles known are on silk clothes used for the cloaks of military commanders. Such cloaks were cared for by cape bearers, according to Emperor Mauricesï¿½ (582-602) Strategicon one for each tribune (commander of 500). [1] Its is not clear however if these cloaks were merely for ceremonial purposes or had a strategic function.

It remains to be explained what the beasts in the claws of the two-headed eagles exactly mean. Probably they were the badges of military or civil officials of the banda of the supreme commander or of the supreme commander himself. The two-headed eagle was used all over the former Roman empire ofï¿½ its largest extend and also in Russia and Nubia which were under stong cultural influence of the Christian Byzantine Empire. In the prefecture Oriens it was used by the Christian basileis ofï¿½ Byzantium and the Seljuq rulers in Asia Minor and Egypt. In the prefecture Thracia it was used by the tsars of Serbia and Bulgaria, and also by the tsars or basileis of Epire and Achaia . In the prefecture Gallia it was used by the caliph of Cordoba and the emperor of Spain, king of Castile and also by the augustus of the Holy Roman Empire, king of Germany. No commanders within the prefecture Italy are known to have used the two-headed eagle. Origin The two-headed eagle is of Hittite origin. Early examples are from the center of the Hittite empire in central Anatolia (Asia Minor).

Two-headed eagles are on seals but also on sculptures. In the last case they have other beasts in their claws and are apparently the symbol of the ruler standing on it. Thus, the two-headed eagle may have been the symbol of the tribe of the ruler but also of the ruler himself. Print of a seal: Two-headed eagle surrounded by a twisted cord. From Kï¿½ltepe-Kanis, 18th c. B.C. (Museum Ankara). Print of a seal: Two-headed eagle, a twisted cord below. From Bogazkï¿½y . 18th c.B.C. (Museum Ankara). Sphinx gate of Alaca Hï¿½yï¿½k 14th c. BC Ruler standing on a two-headed eagle catching two rabbits. Rock sanctuary of Yazilikaya, 13th c B.C. Inauguration scene, on the right two princes standing on a two-headed eagle An interpretation of this scene reads: This is the central scene in Chamber A. There are many figures on either side of this scene forming two processions of gods that lead up to this central meeting of Teshub and Hebat.

The figures in this picture are, left to right, as follows: First is probably Teshub's brother, standing astride two mountain peaks. Next is Teshub, the weather god, who is bearded and wears a tall, conical hat and a short-skirted tunic; he stands on the shoulders of two mountain gods (probably Namni and Hazzi). Facing him is the sun goddess Hebat wearing a fluted, cylindrical hat and a blouse and long skirt; she stands on the back of a large feline, which is in turn standing on mountain peaks. Behind her is Sharrumma, the son of Teshub and Hebat. He is the only male figure in the procession behind Hebat. He too stands and the back of a feline that is standing on mountain peaks. Next come two female figures: the first is identified as Alanzu, the daughter of Teshub and Hebat; the second might be their granddaughter. They are dressed similarly to Hebat, but the clothes aren't as full and flowing as hers; they are supported by a double headed eagle with wings spread. ....

but a more secular interpretation is possible: the ï¿½Godsï¿½ being rulers, the ï¿½Goddessesï¿½ being a vizier, a warrior and governors or civil offcials. The Middle Ages After the Hittite two-headed eagles there is a gap of almost two millennia to be filled. In the meantime the emblem of the supreme commander in the Hellenistic world was a monstruous head, being the head of the army personified by Medusa, Nike or Victoria. After the introduction of Christianity in the Roman Empire the cypher of Christ consisting of the greek letters XP (chi-rho) became the emblem under which the army would conquer (In Hoc Signo Vinces). The supreme commanders attached this cypher to their shields, sometimes surrounded by a bordure set with precious stones, sometimes with a garland of laurel. The XP-cypher as a symbol of the armed forces was maintained in the West by the Carolingians but seems to have been abandoned afterwards. It is striking that the two-headed eagle appeared for the first time at the borders of the Christian world and thus may have been of pagan or muslim origin, later also adopted by Christian commanders.

The first pieces showing a two-headed eagle may have been booty, captured by Christian commanders in the Reconquista in Spain and may have been the emblems of the Umayyad supreme commanders. Early European two-headed eagles date from the early time of the Renovatio Imperii of the House of Saxony in Germany, from Umayyad Spain and from Bulgaria. Two-headed eagle on the Shroud of St. Amadus 10 -12th c. Riggisberg, Abegg-Stiftung CH-3132. Part of the treasury of St. Peter in Salzburg, Austria, and probably manufactured in islamic Spain, 11th century. [2] This piece of silk cloth is from the time of the German House of Saxony (919-1024) on the one hand and of the Spanish Umayyad Dynasty (756-1027)ï¿½ on the other hand. From about the same time are two other pieces, the first from Bulgaria, the other from France.

Stone slab with Double-Headed Eagle Bulgarian (Stara Zagora), 10th-11th century Red schist 72.5 ï¿½ 110 cm. Nasionalen Arkheologicheski Muzei, Sofia Inv. nr.B: 854. [3] This piece is from the time of the Macedonian Empire in Bulgaria (976-1018) or from the time of Byzantine occupation (971-976 & 1018-1185) and may be the emblem of rank of the Bulgarian tsar/basileus in (the former prefecture) Illyricum Blue Tissue from San Zoilo Monastery (Palencia, Spain) Wall-hanging with 36 white two-headed eagles on a blue background. Two sided, on the reverse the colours reversed. Kufic inscriptions. 10th-11th century.

275ï¿½208 cm The wall hanging may have been used by Alfonso VII of Leon ï¿½(1105-1157) nicknamed El Emperador (The Emperor) in spite of the dating of the tissue which is about a hundred years before his rule. Maybe it was a part of the booty of his campaigns or crusades to the Almoravides of Al Andalus. The eight-lobed figure on the breast of the eagle may be a sun-symbol. Pseudo-saint Clï¿½ment, Recognitiones The Archangel Michael (killing a devil) and a monk, a two-headed eagle between the arches Mont Saint-Michel (FR.) about 1000 A.D. Avranches, Bibliothï¿½que Municipale ms. 50 This manuscript is from the time of Otto III, crowned emperor in 996 (ï¿½1002) who strongly propagated the Renovatio Imperii. Also, as the Archangel Michael was the patron of the Castilian and French Kings, the scene may refer to the killing of the Muslim devil, his emblem being attached between the arches.

Piece of silk with fragment ofï¿½ yellow two-headed eagles on purple background. 10th-11th cent.. Coll. Musï¿½e de Sens (Fr.) For a short time in the 12th century the two-headed eagle was used in Spain, after the capital Toledo had come into the possession of the Kings of Castile in 1085. Pieces of cloth with two-headed eagles are also from the time of Alphonso VII of Castile, who had united the Spanish Kingdoms, was crowned Emperor of All Spains in 1135, and calling himself on his seals + ADEï¿½FONSUS IMPERATOR HISPANIAE. Again these pieces may be of Muslim origin and may have belonged to commanders from the Almoravid Empire (1060-1147)ï¿½ from which Toledo was captured. Textile Fragment with Double-Headed Eagles Islamic (Spain), 11th-12th century. Silk, 63 ï¿½ 46 cm.

provenance: From the tomb of Saint Bernard of Calvï¿½ in the Cathedral of Vich, Catalonia, Spain; Miguel y Badia, Madrid. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, N.Y. Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1941 (41.92). This silk fragment belongs to one of several fabrics found in the tomb of Saint Bernard of Calvï¿½ (d. 1243) in the Cathedral of Vich in Catalonia. They are believed to be a part of a booty from the reconquest campaigns against the Muslims of Spain that Calvï¿½ led as bishop of Vich. [..] Textile Fragment with Double-Headed Eagles Islamic (Spain), 12th century. Silk. 29ï¿½19 cm Achat ï¿½ Chamonton, 1906. Inv. 28003. Musï¿½e des Tissus, Lyon. This silk fragment belongs to the ï¿½cloak of the Virginï¿½ of Thuirs, in the Pyrï¿½nï¿½es Orientales.

Such silk clothes were used by christian princes and for liturgic purposes.ï¿½ [4] Detail of the Tunica of Infante Don Garcia (ï¿½1145/46), son of Alfonso VIIï¿½ El Emperdor From his tomb in the Parochial Church ofï¿½ Oï¿½a in Burgos. Two-headed eagles, emblems of rank of a caesar (military), and peacocks, emblems of rank of a prefect (civil). [5] This is the first proof that the two-headed eagle emblem was adopted by a christian commander. Two-headed-eagle with lions Spain, 12th-13th cent. Green silk with golden figures on a ca 25ï¿½16 cm grid.. Detail of a piece of 50ï¿½55cm. ï¿½Lyon, Musï¿½e des Tissus, inv. Nï¿½ MT 25080 [6] This cloth maybe was a part of the treasury of King Tancred of Sicily, brought to Germany by Roman Emperor Henry VI.

As a supreme commander Henry VI dressed himself in green and red and consequently the piece may have been a part of his imperial dress. The lions are the emblem of a dux (commander of an army division) The Holy Roman Empire A next step in the development of the two-headed eagle in the West was the adoption of the two-headed eagle emblem by the Holy Roman Emperor. This adoption is documented by Matthew Paris in his Chronica Majora. [7] He shows us the arms of King and Emperor Otto IV, the first being: Gules, three lions passant Or dimidiating Or, an eagle Sable; the second: Or, a two-headed eagle Sable. The last arms have been the arms of the Holy Roman Emperor until the end of the 15th century before they became the arms of Germany (German Nation of the Holy Roman Empire ï¿½ 1806).ï¿½ This coat of arms classifies the Holy Roman Emperor as a basileus, a title often bestowed to the Western ruler in Byzantine correspondence.

It matches with the german title ï¿½Kaiserï¿½, rather than the title IMPERATOR [SEMPER] AUGUSTUS which was on the seals of the Western Roman ruler since the coronation of Charlemagne. This, in fact meant a degradation as the emblem of the Western Roman Emperor had been a square cross before. After the 4th Crusade however, it was propagated by the Holy See that the Latin Empire was the restoration of the former Roman Empire and for that reason the Latin Emperor bore the square cross as his emblem. All other major rulers in the Empire were caesares from that point of view and bore a two-headed eagle. In fact the two-headed eagle of the western caesar is an augmentation of the arms of the German king who had a black eagle as his emblem since the end of the 10th century, later placed on a golden background or shield. This emblem symbolized his rank of a consul. As such the arms Or, a double eagle Sable are the arms of the caesar of Germany and in 13th century rolls of arms for that reason is called of... . lï¿½ emperur dï¿½alemaine.

[8] ï¿½ Mattheus Parisiensis: Chronica Majora. Corp. Christi Coll. MS 16 fol. 18: Coronation of Otto IV as Emperor at Rome, 1199 (al. 1209) - lower right margin three crowns (Corona argentea, corona aurea, corona ferrea) above a shield (or, a double eagle sable): Otto creatur in imperatorem Romanorum; a second shield (Gules, three lions passant guardant Or, dimidiating Or a (double) eagle Sable): Scutum mutatum pro amore regis Angliï¿½.ï¿½ The Balkans Throughout its history the Prefecture of Illyria shows a development of political fragmentation. This kind of fragmentation is even called Balkanization and it means that a relatively large number of sovereign states arose. As a result a large number of supreme commanders, often wearing the title of Emperor or Tsar were active in former Illyria. This fragmentation only came to a (temporary) end when the Balkans were captured by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century.

In this category are Bulgaria, Epirus, Serbia, Macedonia, Mistra , and Wallachia. Two-headed eagles of the Balkans

Question: Which bird was the emblem of the Roman Empire
Answer: The eagle