The Origins of Babylonians

The Babylonians are generally acknowledged to have originated the practice and science of astrology. Their astrological charts enabled them to foretell the recurrence of seasons and certain celestial events. So, at first and for more than 2,000 years, astrology and astronomy had been the identical science.

Babylonian astrology was introduced to the Greeks early in the 4th century BCE and, through the research of Plato, Aristotle, and others, astrology came to be extremely regarded as a science. It was soon embraced by the Romans (the Roman names for the zodiacal indicators are still used at present) and the Arabs and later unfold all through all the world.

While earliest astrology was used to bring a way of order out of obvious chaos, it was soon employed to predict climate patterns, primarily for agricultural purposes. It was finally widened to incorporate forecasts of natural disasters, war and different events within the affecting the human condition. Once success in these fields was established, it was a pure evolution for astrology to be used as a way for advising for kings and emperors and, in time, the inhabitants at large.

The zodiac (which is derived from the Greek phrase meaning circle of animals) is believed to have developed in historic Egypt and later adopted by the Babylonians. Early astrologers knew it took twelve lunar cycles (i.e., months) for the sun to return to its original position. They then identified twelve constellations that they noticed have been linked to the progression of the seasons and assigned them names of certain animals and persons (in Babylonia, for instance, the rainy season was found to happen when the sun was in a specific constellation which was then named Aquarius, or water bearer).

Across the yr 2000 BCE, Babylonian astrologers believed that the sun, moon, and the five planets known at that time (Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, and Venus) possessed distinct powers. Mars, for example, gave the impression to be crimson and was related to aggression and war.