The double-headed eagle has long been the emblem of our country. However, the history of this symbol is far from being as simple as it might seem at first glance.
After all, this symbol was not invented in Russia, and not even in Russia - it has a much more ancient origin, which we will talk about today. Do you know how the two-headed eagle ended up on the coat of arms of our country?
It is believed that he came to Russia from the Byzantine Empire. It was brought with him by Grand Duke Ivan the Third when he married the Byzantine princess Sophia Palaeologus.
However, this symbol has much deeper roots - the first information about the two-headed eagle was found in ancient Pteria, a state located near the borders of Assyria. Researchers believe that the eagle appeared there in the 7-6 centuries BC.
But could a two-headed eagle have appeared even earlier? It turns out - yes. It is known that he was depicted on the coat of arms of the Hittites. Archaeologists have found many images of him on the ancient buildings of this people.
It is believed that the Hittites existed in the second millennium BC. Who are they? It was an Indo-European people who at one time controlled the entire territory of Asia Minor, as well as the straits across the Black and Mediterranean Seas.
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He was also famous for the fact that from somewhere he learned the secret of iron production. As for the religion of the Hittites, they were pagans and worshiped the god Pirve (analogue of our Perun), the god Sivat (god of heaven, god of life).
It turns out that the two-headed eagle went to the Byzantine Empire from the Hittites, who arose several millennia earlier.
Researchers have found an image of such an eagle on many stone bas-reliefs and seals of this mysterious people. But this symbol existed before.
There is a settlement on the territory of Russia Alandzha-khuyuk, which archaeologists attribute to the Bronze Age - 4-3 thousand years BC. So, during archaeological excavations, many patterns in the form of a swastika were found here, as well as reliefs with a two-headed eagle.
But not only eagles were double-headed. In some museums in Asia Minor, you can see two-headed ducks, as well as various three-headed idols.
Where did "many-headedness" come from? It is not clear, however, the Slavs also had such gods - if you read the Slavic mythology, you can find information about the Two-headed, Triglav-Troyans, four-headed Sventovites, etc.
It turns out that this symbol is not 2-3 thousand years old, but much more and is one of the most ancient. But where did it come from, which of the ancient civilizations first invented it, remains a mystery.
When and under what circumstances do you think the image of a two-headed eagle could first appear? And what could it mean? Write your opinion in the comments.