Double Headed Eagle of Byzantium?

[Matthew]

Does anyone know why the statue of Free Mason, Albert Pike, have him standing on a double headed eagle? Most Orthodox monasteries, churches, and so forth have sport the Double Headed Eagle in their iconastasis carvings, carpets, flags, brass furnishings, and so forth, but is this really Christian or can it be indeed adopted by Christians, or, baptised formerly pagan symbol if you like? Or is this a false history and is it really the intrusion of the free masons into Orthodoxy?

[Agios_Irineos]

Pike was a Scottish Rite mason. The double headed eagle is apparently one of their emblems. According to the Masonic Dictionary, Scottish Rite crusaders saw the emblem used by Turks and liked it so much they captured it and adopted it. Double headed birds were not uncommon symbols in the middle eastern pre-Christian era. They symbol is not associated with Byzantium or the Church before the 11th century.

I suppose anyone could speculate about anything. To be clear, I abhor looking for conspiracies behind every little thing. It seems much more likely that both the Masons and the Church appropriated a common regional symbol for their own reasons and it has retained its usage and popularity since that time.

[Matthew]

Thank you Father Irinaios, very interesting and helpful points.

[Agios_Irineos]

Interesting question, Matthew! I learned a little looking into it.