Mystery Of The Ancient Double-Headed Eagle Symbol

Angela Sutherland - AncientPages.com - One of the most intriguing and powerful ancient symbols is the mysterious double-headed eagle that has been with us for millennia. It is believed to be one of the world's oldest symbols used by a number of different ancient cultures.

Hittie double-headed eagle. Alaca Höyük city gate, Turkey (1450-1180 BCE). Credit: Earth Before the Flood

The earliest depiction of the double-headed eagle can be found on ancient monuments in central Anatolia in the ancient Kingdom of the Hittites. As an example we can mention, a temple devoted to the priestly rituals dedicated to the cult of the two-headed eagle because the Hittites venerated the double-headed eagle (also known as the Hittite Bird of the Sun) as the King of Heaven.

The bird symbolized the Hittite military power.

At the beginning of the early 19th century, excavations conducted by Charles Texier, in an old Hittite capital (Boğazkale) in modern-day Turkey,  revealed cylindrical seals depicting a two-headed eagle with spread wings.

The motif of the double-headed eagle dates back to c. 3800 BC.

Seal of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Image source

The bird also appears in Lagash, an ancient Sumerian city, and was the symbol for Ninurta, son of Enlil, and god of the city.

The prominent Assyriologist, M. Thureau Dangin writes that a French archaeologist, M. de Sarzec found in the unearthed ruins of a temple,  two cylindrical seals. One of these has upon it the recitation of a King, who says:

"The waters of the Tigris fell low and the store of provender ran short in this my city." He goes on to tell that this was a visitation of the gods. He, therefore, submitted his case to the divinities of the land. He dreamed, as a result, a holy dream in which there came to him a divine man whose stature towered, (as that of a mighty god in Babylonia should) from earth to heaven and whose head was crowned with the coronet of a god surmounted by the Storm Bird, "that extended its wings over Lagash and the land thereof." (source)

The double-headed eagle, however, is not restricted to supporting deities, and also appears supporting human figures. This is an indication of the use of the eagle as a personal (or family) symbol.

"...long before Moses found Yahwe and declared him the God of Isra-El (the God who Strives), and before this god absorbed all his predecessors and forbade their recognition, a similar duad had arisen among the Hittites, whose storm god Teshup was represented two gods, and whose symbol was a double-headed eagle. Thereafter no Hittite temple or palace was complete without a conspicuous carving of the doubly potent bicephalous bird..." wrote  Bro. Arthur C. Parker.

According to many historical opinions, this symbol was very popular among several ancient civilizations, which took the opportunity to use it as their own symbol.

Roman Empire: Double-headed eagle. Source

The double-headed eagle became an important emblem used by countries, nations, and royal houses in Europe since the early Medieval times.

Some examples include the Holy Roman Empire, the House of Habsburg, the Byzantine House of Palaiologos, the Ruriks and Romanovs of Russia.

Imperial Coat of arms of the Austrian Empire

The symbol often appears on countries’ coats of arms and flags. The emblem was adopted by the Russians, Poles, Serbians, Prussians, Austrians, and Saxons. It was also used as a private seal and as arms in Germany, Russia, Spain, France, Netherlands, and England.

This symbol is depicted on knightly arms in England, the shield of Swabia dated to 1551, the crest of the Vienna city has also the symbol of the double-headed eagle.

The eagle with one body, one heart, and two heads is a very powerful ancient symbol that is believed to be one of the oldest in the world.

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

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