Cicero on constellations, De Natura Deorum 2.43:
Minorem autem Septentrionem Cepheus passis palmis [post] terga subsequitur.
Now Cepheus, palms outstretched, follows behind the lesser Septentrio.
Cepheus is still reckoned a constellation; minor Septentrio appears to be an unusual name corresponding to what we would now call Ursa Minor, or the Little Dipper.
Post a Comment