![]() In that early age of culture known as the "nomadic" stage, which under normal conditions precedes the "agricultural" stage, the moon cult is even more prominent than sun worship, and with the moon and sun cults thus furnished by the "popular" faith, it was a natural step for the priests, who correspond to the "scientists" of a later day, to perfect a theory of a complete accord between phenomena observed in the heavens and occurrences on earth. Starting with the indisputable fact that man's life and happiness are largely dependent upon phenomena in the heavens, that the fertility of the soil is dependent upon the sun shining in the heavens as well as upon the rains that come from heaven and that, on the other hand, the mischief and damage done by storms and floods (both of which the Euphratean Valley was almost regularly subject to), were to be traced likewise to the heavens - the conclusion was drawn that all the great gods had their seats in the heavens. Just as the sacrificial method of divination rested on a well-defined theory - to wit, that the liver was the seat of the soul of the animal and that the deity in accepting the sacrifice identified himself with the animal, whose "soul" was thus placed in complete accord with that of the god and therefore reflected the mind and will of the god - so astrology is sometimes purported to be based on a theory of divine government of the world. ![]() " Nisannu is the Babylonian month corresponding to March/April in the Western calendar. For example, a segment of the text says: "If in Nisannu the sunrise appears sprinkled with blood, battles. This text describes various astronomical omens and their application to national and political affairs. The earliest extant Babylonian astrology text is the Enuma Anu Enlil (literally meaning "When the gods Anu and Enlil."), dating back to 1600 B.C. Official cult as one of the two chief means at the disposal of the priests (who were called bare or "inspectors") for ascertaining the will and intention of the gods, the other being through the inspection of the liver of the sacrificial animal (see omen). In Babylonia as well as in Assyria as a direct offshoot of Sumerian culture (or in general the "Mesopotamian" culture), astrology takes its place in the The history of astrology can now be traced back to ancientīabylonia, and indeed to the earliest phases of Babylonian history, in the third millennium B.C. "Judicial astrologers" study the supposed correlations between the positions of various celestial objects and the affairs of human beings.ĭuring the last century as astrology gained widespread popularity with the general public, its detractors became increasingly more vocal against it.Īstrology in Babylonia Fertile Crescent myth series Astrology itself can be divided into two camps, comprised of "natural astrologers" who study the motions of the heavenly bodies, timing of eclipses, etc. An Astrologer is a reader of astrological charts, while an Astronomer is a scientist observing celestial phenomena. The terms astrology and astronomy have long been closely misinterpeted and have entirely different meanings. Other cultures and civilizations around the world also developed their own astrological systems independently. The Mayans of Central America and the Aztecs also developed their own form of astrology. Astrology was further developed by the Arabs from the 7th to the 13th century, and in the Europe of the 14th and 15th centuries astrologers were dominating influences at court. ![]() ![]() With the introduction of Greek culture into Egypt, both astronomy and astrology were actively cultivated in the region of the Nile during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. In India and China, astronomy and astrology developed largely independently. It came to Greece about the middle of the 4th century B.C., and reached Rome before the advent of the Christian era. The study of Western astrology and the belief in it, as part of astronomy, is first found in a developed form among the ancient Babylonians and directly or indirectly through the Babylonians, it spread to other nations. There are three main independent branches of astrology today, namely Western astrology, Indian or Jyotish astrology, and Chinese or East Asian astrology. ![]()
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