Common Prolog provides a translator from Edinburgh syntax to allow users to port pre-existing code.
The consult predicate operates only on .pl files:
consult('xxx.pl') means consult file xxx.pl.consult('xxx'). means find a file named xxx.pl and consult it.
The reconsult predicate can operate on a Lisp source file, since compile_and_reconsult('xxx.pl') produces a Lisp binary file xxx.?fasl. That is, reconsult will load fasl and lisp files as well as .pl files:
reconsult('xxx.pl') means reconsult file xxx.pl.reconsult('xxx') means look for a file named xxx.?fasl and load it, or if none found, look for xxx.pl and reconsult it, or if none found look for xxx.lisp and load it, or load xxx.
Loading a compiled file is equivalent to reconsult.
compile_and_reconsult compiles a file and reconsults the result.
Edinburgh syntax may also be used to interact with Common Prolog through the use of a different read-query-print loop. To use Edinburgh syntax, use (erqp) instead of (rqp) to start your command loop.
KnowledgeWorks and Prolog User Guide (Unix version) - 26 Feb 2015