What was the Babylonian name for the constellation now known as Orion?

The Babylonian name for the constellation now known as Orion was The Heavenly Shepherd. Babylonian astronomers identified recognizable star groups and connected them with gods, heroes, animals, and mythological figures.

The constellation’s modern name comes from Greek tradition, but the star pattern was recorded much earlier in Mesopotamian astronomical texts. Babylonian observers tracked the regular movements of stars and planets for calendrical, religious, and omen-related purposes.

The Heavenly Shepherd is often linked with the figure known in Sumerian and Akkadian traditions as a shepherd or divine hunter. Exact identifications in ancient star catalogues can be difficult because the boundaries of constellations did not match modern astronomical borders.

This distinction matters: Babylonian astronomy was not identical to modern science, but it involved systematic observation and mathematical prediction. Mesopotamian scholars preserved long records that later influenced Greek astronomical traditions.