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==Etymology==

==Etymology==

In ancient times, astronomers noted how certain lights moved across the sky in relation to the other stars.  These objects were believed to orbit the [[Earth]], which was considered to be stationary. The lights were first called "πλανήται" (''planētai''),<ref>See [[romanization of Greek]] for the transcription scheme meaning "wanderers", by the ancient Greeks, and it is from this that the word "planet" was derived. http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/planet|title=Definition of planet|publisher=Merriam-Webster OnLine|accessdate=2007-07-23}} http://www.wordsources.info/words-mod-planets.html|title=Words For Our Modern Age: Especially words derived from Latin and Greek sources|publisher=Wordsources.

In ancient times, astronomers noted how certain lights moved across the sky in relation to the other stars.  These objects were believed to orbit the [[Earth]], which was considered to be stationary. The lights were first called "πλανήται" (''planētai''), See [[romanization of Greek]] for the transcription scheme meaning "wanderers", by the ancient Greeks, and it is from this that the word "planet" was derived. http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/planet|title. Definition of planet Merriam-Webster OnLine,  http://www.wordsources.info/words-mod-planets.html|title=Words For Our Modern Age: Especially words derived from Latin and Greek sources|publisher=Wordsources.

The Greeks gave the planets names: the farthest was called ''Phainon'', the shiner, while below it was ''Phaethon'', the bright one. The red planet was known as ''Pyroeis'', "fiery", while the brightest was known as ''Phosphoros'', the light bringer, and the fleeting final planet was called ''Stilbon'', the gleamer. However, the Greeks also made each planet sacred to one of their pantheon of gods, the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympians]]: Phainon was sacred to [[Kronos]], the [[Titan (mythology)|Titan]] who fathered the Olympians, while Phaethon was sacred to [[Zeus]], his son who deposed him as king. [[Ares]], son of Zeus and god of war, was given dominion over Pyroeis, while [[Aphrodite]], goddess of love, ruled over bright Phosphoros, and [[Hermes]] ruled over Stilbon. The History and Practice of Ancient, James Evans, Oxford University Press  

The Greeks gave the planets names: the farthest was called ''Phainon'', the shiner, while below it was ''Phaethon'', the bright one. The red planet was known as ''Pyroeis'', "fiery", while the brightest was known as ''Phosphoros'', the light bringer, and the fleeting final planet was called ''Stilbon'', the gleamer. However, the Greeks also made each planet sacred to one of their pantheon of gods, the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympians]]: Phainon was sacred to [[Kronos]], the [[Titan (mythology)|Titan]] who fathered the Olympians, while Phaethon was sacred to [[Zeus]], his son who deposed him as king. [[Ares]], son of Zeus and god of war, was given dominion over Pyroeis, while [[Aphrodite]], goddess of love, ruled over bright Phosphoros, and [[Hermes]] ruled over Stilbon. The History and Practice of Ancient, James Evans, Oxford University Press  

The Greek practice of grafting of their gods' names onto the planets was  almost certainly borrowed from the [[Babylonians]], a contemporary civilisation in what is now [[Iraq]], from whom they had begun to absorb astronomical learning, including constellations and the zodiac, by 600 BCE.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Chronological History of Babylonian Astronomy|author=Gary D. Thompson|url=http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gtosiris/page9k.html|year=2007|accessdate=2007-04-30}}</ref> The Babylonians had in turn inherited the practice from their predecessors, the [[Sumerians]], who flourished around 2500 years before. The Babylonians named Phosphoros after their goddess of love, Ishtar, Pyroeis after their god of war, Nergal, and Phaethon after their chief god, Marduk,  nergal> The Days of http://www.friesian.com/week.htm The Friesian School,  There are too many concordances between Greek and Babylonian naming conventions for them to have arisen separately.<ref name=astronomy /> There does, however, appear to have been some confusion in translation. For instance, the Babylonian [[Nergal]] was a god of war, and the Greeks, seeing this aspect of Nergal's persona, identified him with [[Ares]], their god of war. However, Nergal, unlike Ares, was also a god of the dead and a god of pestilence.<ref name= nergal.

The Greek practice of grafting of their gods' names onto the planets was  almost certainly borrowed from the [[Babylonians]], a contemporary civilisation in what is now [[Iraq]], from whom they had begun to absorb astronomical learning, including constellations and the zodiac, by 600 BCE.<ref>{{A Chronological History of Babylonian Astronomy, Gary D. Thompson, http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gtosiris/page9k.html] The Babylonians had in turn inherited the practice from their predecessors, the [[Sumerians]], who flourished around 2500 years before. The Babylonians named Phosphoros after their goddess of love, Ishtar, Pyroeis after their god of war, Nergal, and Phaethon after their chief god, Marduk,  nergal> The Days of http://www.friesian.com/week.htm The Friesian School,  There are too many concordances between Greek and Babylonian naming conventions for them to have arisen separately. There does, however, appear to have been some confusion in translation. For instance, the Babylonian [[Nergal]] was a god of war, and the Greeks, seeing this aspect of Nergal's persona, identified him with [[Ares]], their god of war. However, Nergal, unlike Ares, was also a god of the dead and a god of pestilence.<ref name= nergal.

Today, most people in the western world know the planets by names derived from the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympian pantheon]] of gods; however, because of the influence of the [[Roman Empire]] and, later, the [[Catholic Church]], they are known by their Roman (or Latin) names, rather than the Greek. The Romans, who, like the Greeks, were [[Indo-European mythology|Indo-Europeans]], shared with them a [[Roman mythology|common pantheon]] under different names but lacked the rich narrative traditions that Greek poetic culture had given [[Greek mythology|their gods]]. During the later period of the [[Roman Republic]], Roman writers borrowed much of the Greek narratives and applied them to their own pantheon, to the point where they became virtually indistinguishable. When the Romans studied Greek astronomy, they gave the planets their own gods' names.

Today, most people in the western world know the planets by names derived from the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympian pantheon]] of gods; however, because of the influence of the [[Roman Empire]] and, later, the [[Catholic Church]], they are known by their Roman (or Latin) names, rather than the Greek. The Romans, who, like the Greeks, were [[Indo-European mythology|Indo-Europeans]], shared with them a [[Roman mythology|common pantheon]] under different names but lacked the rich narrative traditions that Greek poetic culture had given [[Greek mythology|their gods]]. During the later period of the [[Roman Republic]], Roman writers borrowed much of the Greek narratives and applied them to their own pantheon, to the point where they became virtually indistinguishable. When the Romans studied Greek astronomy, they gave the planets their own gods' names.