Historic Centaurus & Lupus – The vines and the spear

The constellation Centaurus, closely associated with Lupus and Crux, changed a lot as history progressed. The original Centaurus was probably depicted as a Centaur, holding a hunted animal Therion (usually a goat) and a flask in one hand, and holding a spear with a rabbit hanging from it in the other.

Farnese Globe (2nd century Roman copy, believed to represent a Greek star map during the time of Hipparchus 129 BC). Here Lupus is not held in Centaurus’ hand. Source: The Farnese Globe Controversy

 

 

Limoges Aratea (early 11th century). Source: Limoges Aratea

Muslim period prefers the depiction of Lupus as a lion-like animal, called al Sabu’ (“the wild beast”), not to be confused with al Asad (“the lion”). The Muslim was also the first to introduced the idea that the sacrificed animal is held at its hind paws.

9th century Assyrian scholar Hunayn ibn Ishaq. The spear is replaced with a vine here, following the traditional Arabic rendition of some of the stars as Al Kadb al Karm, “the Vine Branch” and sometimes as Al Shamarih, “the broken-off Palm Branches loaded with dates” which Kazwini described as held out in the Centaur's hands. Some thought that the vine branch represents’ the Greek thyrsus, Dionysus’ vine staff. Source: Kitab Suwar al Kawakib

Ottoman era (1717) depiction of Centaurus and Lupus based on writings by Zakariya al Qazwini’s (13th century). Source: The Art Walters Museum

Another Muslim depiction of Centaurus and the Wild Beast in a 15th century interpretation of Sufi (10th century). There is no spear in here, similar to the depiction of Centaurus in 9th century Kitab Suwar al Kawakib. depicted as a lion. Source: Google image, Saudi Aramco World

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Liber der Locis Stellarum Fixarum (14th century) is clearly based from the Muslim depiction of the constellations. Source: Scientific Library

Lapidario of King Alfonso X of Castile (13th century), still influenced with the Arabic depiction of the vine. Source: Gerald la Favre

Hyginus’ Poeticon Astronomicon (1482). This is the first time where the hare, the water container appears (where the libation is kept). Grotius called this canteen, “Arma”. The sacrificed beast is now identified as a small goat, much smaller in size than the previous lion and even the precious unidentifiable animal in Farnese Globe. Source: Naval Oceanography Portal

 

Hyginus (1488). Source: Constellation of Words

Johannes Regiomontanus’s Kalendarius (1512). Source: Kalendarius teütsch Maister Joannis Küngspergers

 

16th century showed some of the first sign of the sacrificial animal appearing as a wolf. Bayer is the first to officially named it Lupus, “wolf”.

 

Mercator Globes (1551). The Arabic vines is fused with the Greco-Roman spear. Source: The Mercator Globes

Zacharias Bornmann’s Astra (1596). Source: Astra

 

 

Aratus, Solensis Hug. Grotii Syntagma Arateorum (1600) follows Hyginus depiction of Centaurus. Source: Linda Hall Library

 

Bayer’s Uranometria (1624) and its colored version. The vined spear reappears. Source: Mexican Sky, Rare Maps

 Colored version of Hevelius’s Uranographia (1687). Source: Rare Maps 

Being an almost southern constellation, many modern maps of Centaurus shows it as part of the group around Hydra, so it is actually kinda difficult to find a decend image of Centaurus.

 

Johann Bode’s Uranographia (1801). Source: Ian Ridpath’s Star Tales 

1987 David O. Miller Con*Stellation T-shirt art (1998). So retro… Source: Con-Stellation

Strasbourg Astronomical Clock

Inside Strasbourg Cathedral, world’ tallest building in 200 years, lies an 18 meter astronomical clock, also one of the largest in the world. The “astronomical clock” could indicates leap years, equinoxes, days, time, month, year, zodiac signs, moon phase, planetary positions, and more astronomical data, so it is already much more a complex calculating machine than a clock.

 

The 2nd Strasbourg Astronomical clogk in 1580 (left) and a painting of the renewed clock by J. Bruck (c. 1845). Source: Columbia College, Hampton National Historic Site

 

Elements of the clock from bottom to top:

 

Computus work and Equations

 

Solar time and celestial globe in front of it.

(Bottom to top:) Days of the week mythological chariot, a clock with 2 cherubs, the solar system, and moon phase.

Ages of life and the Apostles.

 

Source of pictures: Commons

Historic Andromeda

Leiden Aratea (816 AD). Source: Leiden Aratea

Limoges Aratea (early 11th century). Source: Limoges Aratea

9th century Assyrian scholar Hunayn ibn Ishaq. source: Kitab Suwar al Kawakib

Hyginus’ Poeticon Astronomicon (1482). She has a really weird thing going on there. Source: Naval Oceanography Portal

 

Johannes Regiomontanus’s Kalendarius (1512). What’s that?? Source: Kalendarius teütsch Maister Joannis Küngspergers

Mercator Globes (1551). Source: The Mercator Globes

 

Zacharias Bornmann’s Astra (1596). Source: Astra

 

Bayer’s Uranometria (1624), below is John Bevis reconstruction in 1750s . Source: Kuuke 

 Hevelius’s Uranographia (1687). Source: Wikipedia 

Philippe La Hire, Planisphere Celeste (1705). Clearly inspired by Bayer. Source: Wikimedia Commons

 

Johann Bode’s Uranographia (1801). Source: Uranographia

Alexander Jamieson’s A Celestial Atlas (1822). Source: Wikipedia

 

Urania’s Mirror (1825). Source: Wikipedia

 

Modern black Andromeda, princess of the Kingdom of Kush. Pose inspired from Bayer’s version. Source: Kuuke 

Historic Cassiopeia

 

Hyginus’ Poeticon Astronomicon (1482). The Milky Way flows from her right hand (the constellation is located in the Milky Way). Source: Naval Oceanography Portal

Johannes Regiomontanus’s Kalendarius (1512). Source: Kalendarius teütsch Maister Joannis Küngspergers

 

17th century reproduction of Tycho Brahe’s plate (1572) with the Tycho’s Supernova (depicted here in the stand of the throne) which appears in the 16th century. Here she held a palm instead of squirting milky water from her hand. Source: Wikipedia

 

Gerard Mercator’s Mercator Globes (1551). Source: The Mercator Globes

 

Zacharias Bornmann in his Astra (1596) shows her throne with a canopy. Source: Astra

 

Bayer (1603). The supernova is shown here even though it has disappeared. source: Courtney Seligman

Philippe La Hire, Planisphere Celeste (1705). Source: Wikimedia Commons

Historic Boötes and Canes Venatici

I came into this inspiring blog focusing on medieval literature and arts. One of his entry talks about the historic representation of Bootes and how Canes Venatici came to be. It’s a short entry but very informative, but he only has Bootes. So I was thinking why not posting the entire constellation from its earliest representation to the most current representation in my blog. So in regards with the List of Figures entry of Bootes, let’s rewrite the entry here, and next, the rest of the constellation.

The earliest Bootes was probably a young herdsman holding a staff as depicted in Leiden Aratea (816 AD). Source: Leiden Aratea

 

In Limoges Aratea (early 11th century), Bootes was depicted holding the crooked staff in a manner as if he is driving something (Ursa Major) to walk. Source: Limoges Aratea

 

9th century Assyrian scholar Hunayn ibn Ishaq converted the crooked staff into “spearshaft with a hook” because he didn’t know the Greek word Κολλοροβος, and so he translated it into the nearest Arabic word, arriving at العصى ذات الكلاب , al ‘Ashadzat al Kullab, “spearshaft with a hook”. source: Kitab Suwar al Kawakib

 

In the first half of the 12th century, several decades after Alfonso VI conquered Toledo from the Moors, Italian scholar Gerard of Cremona found a copy of Almagest in one of the city’s former Islamic library and translated into Latin, bringing the text back to the Western Civilization. He mixed up the words kullab, “hook” into kilab, “dogs” and so the hastile haben canes, “spearshaft with dogs” was born. This dogs reappears in various star charts of the next era.

 

Johannes Regiomontanus in his Kalendarius (1512) has Bootes as a herdsman in his field, tilling about. He carries a spear, a sickle (“hooked”), a sword and other appliances that helped him in his pursue of the Ursa. Source: Kalendarius teütsch Maister Joannis Küngspergers

 

Petrus Apianus’ in his Horoscopion Apiani (1533) shows the Renaissance-dressed Bootes with an enormous club and companion dogs. Source: Horoscopion Apiani

Gerard Mercator didn’t show the dogs in his commercially successful Mercator Globes (1551). His depiction is close to the original Bootes, although he looks more like a soldier instead of herdsman. Source: The Mercator Globes

 

Zacharias Bornmann in his Astra (1596) shows Bootes with a spear, and naked. Source: Astra

 

Bayer in his Uranometria (1624) has Bootes with a spear shaft and a sickle. The stack of wheat(now Coma Berenices) provides a nice foreground.

     

Cor Caroli Regis Martyris first appear in Francis Lamb’s atlas (1673) to honor King Charles I of England. The name itself was probably introduced in 1660. Source: Les Constellations Disparues

   

Hevelius published Uranographia (1687), proposing Canes Venatici as the official constellation - dogs of Bootes. He decided the dogs to be greyhounds in Greeks: Asterion (“little star”) and Chara (“joy”). He also introduced Mons Maenalus, a mountain in Greece that Boötes is stepping upon. This time Bootes appears in his middle-age appearance, different with the younger original. His depiction of Bootes probably determines the modern shape of the figure. Source: Wikipedia 

Johann Bode’s Uranographia (1801) shows the Quadrans Muralis just above Bootes head(introduced by Lalande in 1795) and the Cor Caroli (introduced by Halley in 18th century). The sickle reappears and the crooked staff . Source: Uranographia

 

Alexander Jamieson’s A Celestial Atlas (1822) replaced the crooked staff with a spear. Source: Wikipedia

 

Urania’s Mirror (1825) added more star names into its predecessor image. Source: Wikipedia

 

Johan Meuris image for Stellarium (2005)

 

There is no official modern depiction of Bootes but in conclusion, most modern depiction of Bootes tries to incorporate everything that is there in the past. He carries many appliances of a herdsman: the crooked staff is now represented by the sickle, while his other arm, supposedly straight in line, is represented with a longer lance or staff. The dogs are depicted pursuing Ursa Major, but not hunting it. 

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