caput piscis

Latin noun

Last edited: 2025-01-31
Primary meaning the head of the Fish
Literal translation head of the fish
Variants
caput piscis
piscis caput
Edited by

the head of the southern Fish animal part

3°–5° Pisces

III. vero et IV. et V. in eiusdem Piscis capite ponuntur

‘[the degrees] 3 however and 4 and 5 are placed in the head of this very fish’

— Firmicus Maternus, Mathesis 8.4.12

Genre: astrological compendium
Provenance: Sicily
Date: ca. 334 CE

Firmicus Maternus. 1897. Ivlii Firmici Materni Matheseos Libri VIII, ed. W. Kroll, F. Skutsch. Stuttgart: B. G. Teubner. 2.293


the head of the northern Fish animal part

19° Pisces

In eo vero qui ad aquilonem vergit, XIX. ponuntur in capite

‘in that [fish] however which is turned northward, [degree] 19 are [sic!] placed in the head’

— Firmicus Maternus, Mathesis 8.4.12

Genre: astrological compendium
Provenance: Sicily
Date: ca. 334 CE

Firmicus Maternus. 1897. Ivlii Firmici Materni Matheseos Libri VIII, ed. W. Kroll, F. Skutsch. Stuttgart: B. G. Teubner. 2.293


See also

caput gemini the head of the Twin

caput arietis the head of the Ram

caput cancri the head of the Crab

caput virginis the head of the Virgin

caput leonis the head of the Lion

caput scorpii the head of the Scorpion

caput librae the head of the Scales

caput sagittarii the head of the Archer

caput capricorni the head of Capricorn

caput aquarii the head of the Waterbearer

pisces Pisces

Cite this entry
APA (7th)
Meinhardt, K. (2025). caput piscis (Lemma #1680). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1680/

Chicago (Author-Date)
Meinhardt, K. (2025). caput piscis (Lemma #1680). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1680/

MLA (9th)
Meinhardt, K. (2025). caput piscis (Lemma #1680). The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1680/

Harvard
Meinhardt, K. (2025) caput piscis (Lemma #1680), The ZODIAC Glossary: A Cross-Cultural Glossary of Ancient Astral Science. Available at: https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1680/ (Accessed: December 1, 2025).

BibTeX
@misc{zodiac1680,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2025-12-01]},
	author = {Meinhardt, Kierán},
	year = {2025},
	title = {caput piscis ({Lemma} #1680)},
	url = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1680/},
	howpublished = {https://zodiacglossary.github.io/lemma/1680/},
}