Two-headed eagle emblem of the Byzantine Empire.

The double headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. Several Slavic nations use this symbol today, having adopting this symbol from the Byzantine Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the two imperial thrones ruling the Roman Empire, of which the Byzantine empire was the eastern part. The Russian tsars adopted the symbol both to position themselves as successors to the Byzantine state and to symbolize their dominion over the west (Europe) and the east (Asia). Byzantine Empire emblem File links The following pages link to this file: Byzantine Empire ... Byzantine Empire emblem File links The following pages link to this file: Byzantine Empire ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Heraldry is the science and art of describing coats-of-arms (also referred to as armorial bearings or simply as arms). Its origins lie in the need to distinguish participants in battles or jousts and to describe the various devices they carried or painted on their shields. ... Flag of the Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. ... Slav, Slavic or Slavonic can refer to: Slavic peoples Slavic languages Slavic mythology Church Slavonic language Old Church Slavonic language Slav, a former Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine Empire. ... Tsar (Bulgarian цар, Russian царь, Serbian цар) ▶(?); often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the Bulgarian Empire in 913-1396/1422 and 1908-1946, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in Russia from 1547 to... A satellite composite image of Europe // Etymology Picture of Europa, carried away by bull-shaped Zeus. ... Asia is the largest and most populous of the Earths continents. ...

The two-headed eagle appears on the coat of arms of following countries: A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ...

• Albania
• Bosnia and Herzegovina:
  • Republika Srpska
• Byzantine Empire
• Russian Federation
• Russian Empire
• Serbia and Montenegro

It also appears on the flag of: Official language Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian Official script Cyrillic alphabet, Latin alphabet Capital de jure Sarajevo de facto Banja Luka Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % water  24,811 km²  n/a Population  â€“ Total (2001)  â€“ Density  1,490,993  60/km² Ethnic groups (1991) pre-war figures (do not reflect significant population changes caused... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... The tricolor flag of France A flag is a piece of coloured cloth flown from a pole or mast, usually for purposes of signalling or identification. ...

• Albania
• Montenegro

Fraternal: Serbia and Montenegro  â€“ Serbia    â€“ Kosovo and Metohia        (UN administration)    â€“ Vojvodina  â€“ Montenegro Official language Serbian Capital Podgorica Former Royal Capital Cetinje President Filip Vujanović Prime Minister Milo Đukanović Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % water  13,812 km²  n/a Population  â€“ Total (2003)  â€“ Density  616,258  48. ...

It is also appears as the central seal of Scottish Rite Freemasonry for members of the 31st-33rd Degree known as the Consistory

Origins

Double headed eagles have been present for many centuries. A representation of a two-headed woman dating from 6000 BC was discovered in Çatalhöyük (Turkey) one of the oldest cities in the world. Therefore, the apparition of the two-headed eagle is very old, because it can be found in archeologic remains of the Hittite civilization dating from a period that goes between XXth and XIIIth centuries BC. First, cylindric seals discovered in Bogazkoy, nowday (Turkey), an old Hittite capital, represents clearly a two-headed eagle with spread wings. The esthetic of this symetric position explains in part the birth of this religious figure. It probably dates from around 1750 or 1715 BC, and was used in a tradesman background. This symbol can also be seen in the same region in two monumental realisations : in Alaça Hüyük (around 1400 BC) and in Yazilikaya (Turkey). (before 1250 BC). Here the context looks different and totally religious. The eagle becomes divinity's symbol. The two-headed eagle slowly disappears during the last Hittite period, from IXth to VIIth century BC and totally disappears after the end of the empire... Excavations at the South Area of Çatal Höyük Çatalhöyük (also Çatal Höyük and Çatal Hüyük, or any of the three without accent marks -- Çatal is Turkish for fork and Höyük is Turkish for mound) was a very large Neolithic and... Hittite can refer to either: The ancient Anatolian people called the Hittites; or The Hittite language, an ancient Indo-European language they spoke. ... Hattusa (also known as Hattusas or Hattush) was the capital of the Turkey, and was set in a loop of the Kizil Irmak river in central Anatolia, about 145 km (90 miles) east of Ankara. ... Hittite can refer to either: The ancient Anatolian people called the Hittites; or The Hittite language, an ancient Indo-European language they spoke. ... Yazilikaya ( Türkçe inscribed rock) is a Hittite holy place near BoÄŸazköy, Turkey. ... Hittite can refer to either: The ancient Anatolian people called the Hittites; or The Hittite language, an ancient Indo-European language they spoke. ...

Use by the Turks

The two-headed eagle reappears in the same region, but after 2000 years. The two-headed eagle became the standard of Seljuks of Rum (the Roman territories) with the crowning of Tougroul (meant "Eagle") Beg at Mousul in 1058 as the King of the East and the West and was much used afterwards. With Seljuk Turks conquering Anatolia and creating the Sultanate of Rüm, establishing their capital in Nicaea (called today Iznik in Turkey), and then in Konya, Seljuk Sultans of Konya, Alaeddin Keykübad (1219-1236) and of his son Keyhusrem II (1236-1246)used double head (bicephalous) eagle as their standard that actually was represented on tissues, cut stones, mural squares, and Koran holders. Turcomans, who ruled in Anatolia during XIIIth century, inherited it from Seljuk Turks. The use of the symbol by the Turks has two possible explanations: first is the propagandist explanation: the eagle was a sign of grandeour and magnificance and it was to support the claim of Turkish rulers on Roman imperial inheritance. Another explanation can be found in pre-Islamic Turkic shamanism, in which the eagle was the creature that would guide spirits to the afterlife. The Seljuk Turks (also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq; in Turkish Selçuklu; in Arabic سلجوق SaljÅ«q, or السلاجقة al-Salājiqa; in Persian سلجوقيان SaljÅ«qiyān) were a major branch of the Oghuz Turks... Asia Minor lies east of the Bosporus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. ... The Sultanate of Rûm was a Seljuk sultanate in Anatolia from 1077 to 1307. ... Nicaea (now Ä°znik) is a city in Anatolia (now part of Turkey) which is known primarily as the site of two major meetings (or Ecumenical councils) in the early history of the Christian church. ... Nicaea is also the ancient name of the French city Nice. ... Konya (also Koniah, Konieh, Konia, and Qunia; historically known as Iconium, Greek: Ικόνιον) is a city in Turkey, on the central plateau of Anatolia. ... A sultan (Arabic: سلطان) is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings. ... The Quran (Arabic al-qurʾān أَلْقُرآن; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... There are several meanings to Turkmen: Related to the country Turkmenistan Turkmen language Turkmen people A breed of horse called the Turkoman This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine Empire. ...

Byzantine Empire

Constantinople considered itself as the second Rome. Islamic coins from the era of reign of Khalif Nasreddin Mahmoud bin Mohammad, following Turkish influence, sport double headed eagle on one side and the star of David on the other as early as year 1200. Thus, double-headed eagle was already known there as the symbol of power and sovereignty and the byzantine emperor, the Basileus, adopted it. The use of this symbol spread from the new cilization of Islamics, inspite of its agressive stance against the Roman Empire. As stated above, primary symbolic significance was to express the unity, or the desire for greater unity of former Roman Empire. The first mention of a double-headed eagle in the West dates from 1250 in a roll of arms of Matthew of Paris for Emperor Friedrich II. Therefore, the two-headed eagle became popular in the Byzantine Empire, and it was probably Theodore II Lascaris, the Basileus between 1254 and 1258, who chose it as the symbol of the Byzantine Empire, because it symbolized well his double temporal and spiritual sovereignty. Two-headed eagles in Russia, and in Balkanic countries are directly inherited from Byzance. It also became after the symbol of the Austrian empire and of several families of the German aristocracy. A silver coin of the Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... ...

See also

• Eagle (heraldry)

It is also an important motif in heraldry of imperial families of Russia (the House of Romanov) and Austria-Hungary (the House of Habsburg), as well as the royal family Petrovic-Njegos of Montenegro. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The House of Romanov (Ром́анов, pronounced Ro-MAH-nof) was the second and last imperial dynasty of Russia, which ruled Muscovy and the Russian Empire for five generations from 1613 to 1762. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy; also used as the flag of the Austrian Empire until the Ausgleich of 1867. ...

Coat of Arms of Russia Russian coat of arms This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ... Coat of Arms of Russian Federation. ...	Coat of arms of Republika Srpska Coat of arms of Republika Srpska. ... Coat of arms of Republika Srpska The coat of arms of the Republika Srpska shows, on a red shield, overheaded by the Karadjordjevic crown, a bicephalic silver eagle in take off, armed with gold, with golden tongue and legs, the chest covered by a red shield with the Serbian cross...	Coat of Arms of Serbia and Montenegro Image File history File links originally uploaded by Avala. ... Coat of Arms of Serbia and Montenegro // Official Status Officialy adopted by federal parlaiment in 1994. ...	Coat of Arms of Serbia This image depicts a seal, an emblem, a coat of arms or a crest. ... Large Coat of Arms of Serbia Small Coat of Arms of Serbia The Coat of Arms of Serbia, adopted on August 17, 2004, is a replica of the coat of arms of the former Obrenovic dynasty (first adopted in 1882) and features the white bicephalic eagle of the Nemanjić dynasty...
Coat of Arms of Montenegro Download high resolution version (561x640, 283 KB)Coat of Arms Montenegro File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Coat of Arms of Montenegro: Categories: Coats of arms | Montenegro ...	The Emblem of Albania General info: State emblem of Albania Size: 1. ... The Emblem of Albania is an adaptation of the Flag of Albania. ...	Coat of Arms of Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary (from Commons, same file name) http://commons. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ...	Imperial Russian double headed eagle Image File history File links Russian Empire Emblem Taken from http://geraldika. ...