Perseus - Revision history

Sushoff: /* Eratosthenes[2] */

2026-06-12T07:03:05Z

Eratosthenes[2]

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:03, 12 June 2026
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	(Kidd 1997)</blockquote>		(Kidd 1997)</blockquote>

	===== Eratosthenes<ref>Pamìas, Jordi und Zucker, Arnaud (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène: Catastérrismes, Belles Lettres, Paris</ref> ~~=====~~		===== Eratosthenes =====
	<blockquote>'''Var 1''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, and received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another whilst keeping watch. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye between them, seized it and threw it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off the head of Medusa, with which Athena covered her breast but she also created an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also depicted holding the head of the Gorgon.</blockquote><blockquote>Perseus has a bright star on each shoulder, a bright one on his right hand, a bright one on his elbow, one on the tip of his left hand, in which he seems to be holding the Gorgon’s head, one on the Gorgon’s head, one on the belly, a bright one on the right hip, a bright one on the right thigh, one on the knee, one on the edge of the shinbone, a dim one on a foot, one on the left thigh, one on the knee, two on the edge of the shinbone, and three encircling the Gorgon’s hair. Nineteen in all.</blockquote><blockquote>On the head, as on the sickle, no stars are visible; some, however, believe they can make out some through a nebular cluster. </blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 2''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. When Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, he received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another to keep watch in turn. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye, seized it and cast it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off Medusa’s head, with which Athena covered her breast; but she also fashioned an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also seen holding the Gorgon’s head in the scene depicted (?).</blockquote>		Pamias and Zucker (2013,<ref>Pamìas, Jordi und Zucker, Arnaud (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène: Catastérrismes, Belles Lettres, Paris</ref> 68-71)<blockquote>'''Var 1''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, and received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another whilst keeping watch. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye between them, seized it and threw it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off the head of Medusa, with which Athena covered her breast but she also created an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also depicted holding the head of the Gorgon.</blockquote><blockquote>Perseus has a bright star on each shoulder, a bright one on his right hand, a bright one on his elbow, one on the tip of his left hand, in which he seems to be holding the Gorgon’s head, one on the Gorgon’s head, one on the belly, a bright one on the right hip, a bright one on the right thigh, one on the knee, one on the edge of the shinbone, a dim one on a foot, one on the left thigh, one on the knee, two on the edge of the shinbone, and three encircling the Gorgon’s hair. Nineteen in all.</blockquote><blockquote>On the head, as on the sickle, no stars are visible; some, however, believe they can make out some through a nebular cluster. </blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 2''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. When Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, he received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another to keep watch in turn. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye, seized it and cast it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off Medusa’s head, with which Athena covered her breast; but she also fashioned an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also seen holding the Gorgon’s head in the scene depicted (?).</blockquote>

	===== Hipparchus =====		===== Hipparchus =====

YoulaAzkarrula: /* Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation */

2026-06-04T05:30:38Z

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:30, 4 June 2026
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	===Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation===		===Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation===
			<gallery>
			File:H.A. Rey's stick figure stellarium-060.png\|(1952) H.A. Rey's stick figure of Perseus
			File:O. Hlad's stick figure stellarium-061.png\|(1988) O. Hlad's stick figure of Perseus
			</gallery>

	==Mythology==		==Mythology==

Sushoff at 13:27, 1 June 2026

2026-06-01T13:27:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:27, 1 June 2026
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	(Kidd 1997)</blockquote>		(Kidd 1997)</blockquote>

	===== Eratosthenes =====		===== Eratosthenes<ref>Pamìas, Jordi und Zucker, Arnaud (2013). Ératosthènes de Cyrène: Catastérrismes, Belles Lettres, Paris</ref> =====
			<blockquote>'''Var 1''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, and received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another whilst keeping watch. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye between them, seized it and threw it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off the head of Medusa, with which Athena covered her breast but she also created an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also depicted holding the head of the Gorgon.</blockquote><blockquote>Perseus has a bright star on each shoulder, a bright one on his right hand, a bright one on his elbow, one on the tip of his left hand, in which he seems to be holding the Gorgon’s head, one on the Gorgon’s head, one on the belly, a bright one on the right hip, a bright one on the right thigh, one on the knee, one on the edge of the shinbone, a dim one on a foot, one on the left thigh, one on the knee, two on the edge of the shinbone, and three encircling the Gorgon’s hair. Nineteen in all.</blockquote><blockquote>On the head, as on the sickle, no stars are visible; some, however, believe they can make out some through a nebular cluster. </blockquote><blockquote>'''Var. 2''': It is said that he was placed amongst the constellations because of his fame. It was by uniting with Danaë in the form of a shower of gold that Zeus fathered him. When Perseus was sent by Polydectes to face the Gorgons, he received from Hermes his helmet and sandals, by means of which he made the journey through the air; he is also said to have received a steel sickle from Hephaestus. The Gorgons, according to the tragic poet Aeschylus in The Phorcids, had the Graeae (the Old Women) as their sentinels. The latter had but a single eye which they passed from one to another to keep watch in turn. Perseus waited for the moment when they were passing the eye, seized it and cast it into Lake Triton. After which he marched against the Gorgons, who were asleep, and cut off Medusa’s head, with which Athena covered her breast; but she also fashioned an astral representation of it, which she gave to Perseus; hence he is also seen holding the Gorgon’s head in the scene depicted (?).</blockquote>

	===== Hipparchus =====		===== Hipparchus =====

YoulaAzkarrula at 11:58, 26 May 2026

2026-05-26T11:58:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:58, 26 May 2026
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	[[Category:Eurasia]]		[[Category:Eurasia]]
	[[Category:Constellation]]		[[Category:Constellation]] [[Category:Asterism]]
	[[Category:Almagest]]		[[Category:Almagest]]
	[[Category:Mesopotamian]]		[[Category:Mesopotamian]]
	[[Category:West Asian]]		[[Category:West Asian]] [[Category:Asian]]
	[[Category:Modern]]		[[Category:Modern]]
	[[Category:88 IAU-Constellations]]		[[Category:88 IAU-Constellations]] [[Category:Per]]
	[[Category:European]]		[[Category:European]]

IanRidpath: /* Almagest Περσεύς */ OCR errors

2026-05-20T09:13:21Z

Almagest Περσεύς: OCR errors

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:13, 20 May 2026
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	\|		\|
	\|ὁ ἐη τῷ δεξιῷ γόνατι.		\|ὁ ἐη τῷ δεξιῷ γόνατι.
	\|The star m the ~~nght~~ knee		\|The star in the right knee
	\|72 Per		\|72 Per
	\|-		\|-
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	\|		\|
	\|ὁ ἐπόμενος καὶ κατ’ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀγκύλης.		\|ὁ ἐπόμενος καὶ κατ’ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀγκύλης.
	\|~~!he~~ rearmost of them, just over the bend in the knee		\|The rearmost of them, just over the bend in the knee
	\|mu Per		\|mu Per
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|
	\|ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς γαστροκυημίας.		\|ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς γαστροκυημίας.
	\|~~fhe~~ star on the right calf		\|The star on the right calf
	\|53 Per		\|53 Per
	\|-		\|-

IanRidpath: /* Weblinks */ Added Warburg link

2026-05-20T09:09:37Z

Weblinks: Added Warburg link

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:09, 20 May 2026
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	==Weblinks==		==Weblinks==

	*		* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-017049 Warburg Institute Iconographic Database – Perseus]

	==References==		==References==

Sushoff at 12:50, 19 May 2026

2026-05-19T12:50:12Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:50, 19 May 2026
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	[[Category:88 IAU-Constellations]]		[[Category:88 IAU-Constellations]]
	[[Category:European]]		[[Category:European]]
	~~[[Category:4work]]~~

Sushoff at 12:37, 27 February 2026

2026-02-27T12:37:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:37, 27 February 2026
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	==Etymology and History==		==Etymology and History==
	===Origin of Constellation===		===Origin of Constellation===
	Eratosthenes adds that it is possible, however, to recognise Perseus' weapon, a metallic sickle, in a nebulous cluster. He holds the sickle with his hand raised near his head. By this nebulous mass, he means the double star clusters h and χ Persei in the Milky Way.		<ref>Hoffmann, Susanne M. Wie der Löwe an den Himmel kam. Franckh Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2021</ref>Eratosthenes adds that it is possible, however, to recognise Perseus' weapon, a metallic sickle, in a nebulous cluster. He holds the sickle with his hand raised near his head. By this nebulous mass, he means the double star clusters h and χ Persei in the Milky Way.

	In Ptolemy's Almagest, on the other hand, the star τ Per is identified with the hero's head. This is an excellent example of how ‘Greek’ constellations were never canonical, i.e. Eratosthenes draws the figures differently from Ptolemy, and Ptolemy differently from Hipparchus.		In Ptolemy's Almagest, on the other hand, the star τ Per is identified with the hero's head. This is an excellent example of how ‘Greek’ constellations were never canonical, i.e. Eratosthenes draws the figures differently from Ptolemy, and Ptolemy differently from Hipparchus.

Sushoff at 19:50, 26 February 2026

2026-02-26T19:50:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:50, 26 February 2026
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	----		----
	[[File:Perseus IAU.svg\|alt=star chart\|thumb\|Per star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).]]		[[File:Perseus IAU.svg\|alt=star chart\|thumb\|Per star chart (IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine, Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg).]]
	One of the [[:Category:88_IAU-Constellations\|88 IAU constellations]].		One of the [[:Category:88_IAU-Constellations\|88 IAU constellations]]. Perseus is a handsome hero – not an overly muscular colossus like Heracles, nor of outstanding beauty like Orion, but a strong and armed young man. Eratosthenes describes the stars in this figure on his stomach, knees, feet, hands and – because he carries Medusa's head with him – some around the Gorgon's head. In a postscript to one of the text versions, which may have been added later, it is explicitly stated that Perseus' own head is not marked by a bright star.

	==Etymology and History==		==Etymology and History==
	~~The Greek constellation~~ ...		===Origin of Constellation===
			Eratosthenes adds that it is possible, however, to recognise Perseus' weapon, a metallic sickle, in a nebulous cluster. He holds the sickle with his hand raised near his head. By this nebulous mass, he means the double star clusters h and χ Persei in the Milky Way.

			In Ptolemy's Almagest, on the other hand, the star τ Per is identified with the hero's head. This is an excellent example of how ‘Greek’ constellations were never canonical, i.e. Eratosthenes draws the figures differently from Ptolemy, and Ptolemy differently from Hipparchus.

	~~===Origin~~ of ~~Constellation===~~		The Babylonian constellation in this region of the sky was also a male figure, but the constellation was called ‘Old Man’ ([[ŠU.GI]]). It is associated with Enmescharra, a god of primeval times and the last primeval ancestor of the chief god Enlil. This association suggests that the constellation of a man is relatively old – perhaps older than written culture – but underwent significant changes in interpretation over the course of the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE: When Enlil was made the chief god and earlier gods were abolished, the constellation ‘God Enmescharra’ was simply called ‘Old Man’. This allowed it to live on when Marduk was elevated to chief god in the 13th century BCE.

			Near the Old Man is the constellation of the Plough ([[APIN]]). The chief god Enlil ([[En-lil2\|<sup>d</sup>''En-lil'']]<sub>2</sub>) was a god of agriculture and thus a bringer of culture. The plough was his attribute. In the 2nd millennium, the seed drill plough was invented, which allowed seeds to be sown directly into the earth as the furrow was drawn. However, the star association in the constellation Old Man (Mel 20, a cluster around α Per, [[Mirfak]]) can easily be interpreted as seeds that he scatters in the field like the sower in van Gogh's painting.

			Ploughing requires enormous physical strength and can only be done by young men. The lighter work of walking behind the plough and scattering the seeds can also be done by an old man. This suggests that the Old Man may originally have been a sower who became obsolete with the invention of the seed plough. Then one of the stars in the plough was renamed the ‘seed funnel’ and the Old Man was able to stand alone. Even in Eratosthenes, α Per is the star on the figure's belly, where the sower once held his cloth with the grains.

			The Old Man in MUL.APIN walks bent over, so his head is not pointing upwards like the Greek hero, but diagonally forwards, where there are indeed a few stars to imagine him.

			The constellation of the Old Man became the image of a young hero named Perseus, as people imagined a pair of lovers in this region of the sky. This has always been the case, but the exact location of the lovers in the stars has changed over the course of the history of constellations: in MUL.APIN, the neighbouring constellation ‘Wage Labourer’ (where Aries is today) is associated with the god Dumuzi. Dumuzi is the lover of the goddess of love, Ishtar, who became the princess [[Andromeda]] in Greek mythology. When a Babylonian pun turned the labourer into a ram (and thus deprived it of any visual clarity), the goddess of love was left without her lover. So it made sense to reinterpret the Old Man as a young man.

			The upright man (wage labourer in Ari+Tri) next to the upright goddess (northern fish ellipse in Psc plus western part of And) became a ram ([[Aries]]), a fish ([[Pisces]]) and a reclining princess ([[Andromeda\|Androemda]]), whose lover now stands a little further to the northeast: in the figure of Perseus.

	==== Babylonian ====		==== Babylonian ====
			see

			* [[ŠU.GI]]

	[[File:Kugel family.JPG\|thumb\|Kugel Globe (1st c.BCE): Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Cepheus, drawing by SMH 2024.]]		[[File:Kugel family.JPG\|thumb\|Kugel Globe (1st c.BCE): Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Cepheus, drawing by SMH 2024.]]

Sushoff: /* Setting (Lib II Cap VI §10) */

2026-02-24T08:16:26Z

Setting (Lib II Cap VI §10)

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:16, 24 February 2026
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	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|
	\|		\|Tau 2
	\|		\|Tau 29
	\|		\|Leo 5 1/2
	\|		\|Vir 9 1/2
	\|-		\|-
	\|		\|
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	\|-		\|-
	\|star		\|star
	\|		\|of those in the head of Gorgo the northern and front one (pi)
	\|		\|the one in the right knee (b)
	\|		\|
	\|		\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|duration		\|duration
	\| colspan="4" \|2 2/3 hours = ~~160~~ min = ~~40°~~		\| colspan="4" \|2 1/3 hours = 140 min = 35°
	\|}		\|}