Capricornus Pendant, Silver

The Capricorn was the protective animal and symbol of the reign of emperor Augustus. It symbolizes prosperity, happiness and peace of the Pax Augusta.

SKU
658002
Lieferzeit
1-2 weeks
€39.00
All prices include VAT, plus shipping costs

 ROMAN CAPRICORNUS Pendant, Silver

This beautiful little pendant represents a mythical creature with the upper body of a capricorn or a goat and the hindquarters of a fish. The Romans called this creature Capricornus, which is also the ancient name of the constellation of Capricorn. As a motif, the Capricornus can be found on many reliefs, mosaics and coins in Roman times, and of course in a special form on jewellery such as signet rings or robe pins. The Roman Capricornus is closely associated with Emperor Augustus and also symbolises prosperity, happiness and peace under the Pax Augusta. This makes the small pendant not only interesting for Capricorn-born people, but it is also a beautiful lucky charm with a close connection to Roman history, Roman art and its mystical meaning.

Our small pendant of Capricornus is based on original pieces from Roman times and in particular on a small bronze from Germany with an unknown finding place, which is now in a private collection in the USA. The piece has been appropriately reworked, resized and detailed. It is made purely by hand from real and solid 925 silver. First, a wax model is made, which is then reworked by hand. The model is cast in a complex, antique technique using the lost-wax casting method and then reworked, ground and polished by hand. The size of the piece is approximately 25 x 18 mm.
You will receive your personal Capricornus as a lucky charm in a decorative case with certificate and a soft ribbon made of genuine goatskin.

 


ROMAN CAPRICORN Pendant - The astrological background

The Capricorn, or Capricornus in Latin, is the symbol of the constellation and also of the zodiac sign of Capricorn. The zodiac, i.e. the constellations traversed by the ecliptic of the Sun, has been used to make predictions for thousands of years, and this has been preserved in astrology and horoscopes to this day. While in ancient times the zodiac had a stronger significance in the creation of calendars and time calculations, today the spiritual character in particular is in the foreground. Since the shift of the earth's axis (precession) has changed the sun's orbit, the signs of the zodiac are now shifted by about 30° compared to the constellations.

 

In ancient Egypt and also Babylon, so-called diurnal calendars already existed, which, as systems similar to the zodiac, prophesied positive or negative characteristics for each day. As the Greek scholar Herodotus reported, these calendars of fate were based on a system that assigned periods of time to certain gods and also predicted certain characters and omens for corresponding birthdays.t
Mesopotamia played a prominent role in the development of astrological concepts, where originally astrology and interpretation were inseparable. Mathematical calculations were already able to determine the course of the stars and predict phenomena such as solar or lunar eclipses. From the knowledge gaine

 

d, people tried to recognise direct effects on the earth and to transfer the influence of the stars to events on earth.

The names of the constellations and signs of the zodiac as we know them today also go back to ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian origins. In the Hathor temple at Dendera there was a ceiling painting with the sky goddess Nut and the signs of the zodiac, which was created in Hellenistic or early Roman times.

 

The constellation of Capricorn was also used for astrological purposes as early as Babylonian times and was mentioned by Ptolemy as one of the 48 known constellations. It was a very important constellation because the winter solstice occurred here. The original name goatfish for the constellation of Capricorn possibly goes back to observations of schools of fish and their migratory movements around red seas. A Greek legend explains the shape of the goatfish:

The terrible monster Typhon, with a human upper body and an abdomen of countless snakes, spread terror on earth and in Olympus. He frightened even the gods so much that they fled and turned into animals. Pan, the goat-shaped god of shepherds and nature, jumped into the sea in a "panic" and tried to transform himself into a fish. Unfortunately, he did not succeed in the transformation completely and only became a goat with the abdomen of a fish, a goatfish. Only Athena remained in her human form and mocked Zeus, who had turned into a ram. The father of the gods did not want to endure this disgrace and faced the battle against the monstrous beast. Zeus was defeated, however, and Typhon cut the sinews from his arms and legs. The defenceless god was hidden in a cave where he was found and healed by Pan and Hermes. Zeus finally defeated Typhon and threw Mount Etna at the monster in Sicily, where his fiery breath still blazes from the depths today.
In gratitude to Pan, Zeus placed his image as a goatfish in the starry sky.

 

Finally, among the Romans, the goatfish was declared a Capricorn, but its representation as a goatfish was adopted unchanged as Capricornus or Capricorn.

 

Roman Capricorn Pendant - Symbol of Caesar Augustus

 

In his biography of Augustus, Suetonius describes how the then 18-year-old Gaius Octavius met the mathematician and astrologer Theogenes in Appolonia in 45 BC (i.e. the year before the assassination of his uncle Gaius Iulius Caesar). The latter falls on his knees before him and predicts an extraordinary future. Suetonius reports: " Later Augustus had such confidence in his fate that he publicly announced his horoscope and had a silver coin minted with the sign of Capricornus, in which he was born." However, the fact that the Emperor was actually born on 23 September under the sign of Libra raises questions, but it is likely that the day of conception was used to calculate the zodiac sign.

 

Indeed, the Capricorn appears on numerous coins, monuments and even as a field sign of the legions XXII Primigenia and II Augusta. The use of the animal begins after the battles in Actium and in Egypt, with which Octavius establishes his supremacy.  The capricorn is a hybrid of a land animal and a fish, and the battles were fought on land and on the high seas. Perhaps there is additional symbolism hidden here. On its coins, the Capricorn is accompanied by a cornucopia, a globe and a rudder. The cornucopia a sign of the prosperity his rule is supposed to bring, the rudder a sign of Fortuna, the goddess of luck, and the globe a symbol of his claim to global dominion. The use of the Capricorn thus becomes an astrological legitimisation of his power. Furthermore, the sign becomes a symbol of the emperor himself and a symbol of luck, prosperity and peace under the Pax Augusta.

Even in the centuries after Augustus, the capricorn remained a popular motif, for example in mosaics or on signet rings.

More Information
Delivery time 1-2 weeks
weight 0.006000
size 25 x 18 mm
Era Romans
Material Silver 925
Kind of replica Pendants
scope of delivery Delivery in a jewellery case with certificate
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