How Astrology Fared In Mesopotamia In Antiquity?

Throughout its history, Mesopotamian astrology was a complex system of divination and celestial interpretation that laid the foundation for modern astrology. The first known cuneiform texts that give information about Mesopotamian astrology belong to the ancient people of Mesopotamia. The most detailed, surviving records of the origins of astrology are found in the archaeological remains of the ancient cities of Mesopotamia.

Divination in the Ancient Near East took many forms, but one of the most important practices was astrology, which was the art of observing the sky and weather for signs. The first written evidence for this began in the Neo-Assyrian period. Throughout most of Mesopotamian history, astrologers kept watch and reported on auspicious appearances, conjunctions, disappearances, and other events in the sky. The general principles of their science were that the messages of the gods were written out in the movement of bodies in the heavens.

Babylonian astrology was the first known organized system of astrology, arising in the second millennium BC. In Babylon and Assyria as a direct result of astronomical observations, astrologers carefully observed positions of the Moon and planets relative to fixed stars. The astrologers observed the movements of the planets and assigned them godlike features and powers. Each planet represented a god or goddess and ruled.

A considerable amount of ancient Mesopotamian astrology has survived into the present day, with Mars being identified with the god Nergal, an evil god who ruled. Although many Assyriologists would not agree to separate astrology and astronomy in ancient Mesopotamia, as a matter of fact, there exists a considerable amount of ancient Mesopotamian astrology that functions alongside other forms of divination.

Did the ancient Egyptians believe in astrology?

Babylonian astrology and astronomy spread to Egypt in the early second century BC, and Egyptian astrologers began producing horoscopes to determine newborns’ fates. These horoscopes required computing the zodiacal positions of the Moon, Sun, and five known ancient planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Both Demotic and Greek horoscopes have been found in Egypt, and in 1999, American historian Alexander Jones proved that some Egyptian astrologers writing in Greek were using Babylonian methods.

However, little is known about the computational methods of native Egyptian astrologers writing in Demotic. Two newly identified Demotic texts with computational instructions shed new light on the mathematical skills of native Egyptian astrologers. Both ostraca contain instructions regarding three distinct Babylonian algorithms, each focusing on a particular phenomenon of Mercury. The inscriptions offer the first unequivocal proof that native Egyptian astrologers, like their Greek colleagues, were capable of computing positions of Mercury using Babylonian methods.

The instructions suggest that the native Egyptian scholars adapted these methods before their Greek colleagues and independently of them. They also use a Babylonian loanword for ‘degree’, unlike the Greek word used by the astrologers writing in Greek.

A surprising aspect of the instructions is that they employ a mathematical formulation unknown from Babylonia. Instead of directly computing the variable distance travelled by Mercury along the zodiac, Egyptian scholars first divided the zodiac into tiny steps of variable length. This formulation has not yet been identified in any Babylonian text, but it is now found in these two Demotic texts written by native Egyptian scholars.

What was the astrology in the Babylonian civilization?

Astrology entered the Graeco-Roman world at the end of the Hellenistic period and further developed during the Imperial period. It first developed in Babylonia by at least the early second millennium BCE. Early Babylonian astrology was concerned with making predictions about the king and the state. During the first millennium BCE, the Babylonians developed new forms of astrology including personal astrology, that is, predictions about the life of an individual based on the heavenly bodies’ position at the time of birth. This type of astronomy was further developed later in the Greek world during the Hellenistic period, when Mesopotamian astrological methods were combined with other Egyptian astrological notions (e. g., the decans) and Greek mathematical astronomy. Even if pagan philosophers and Christians fought against its practice, astrology became very popular. Hence, we have many papyri with horoscopes for specific individuals like the one presented here.

In this papyrus there are two horoscopes for two births, one on the 29/30 of January of 279 CE and the other on the 3/4 of November of 304 CE, divided by a line with a fork at the left margin (a sign called diplē obelismenē or forked paragraphos ). The second horoscope is for a girl named Theonis. The first one is anonymous; scholars have suggested that, given the time span that divides the two horoscopes (25 years), the horoscope dated to 279 BCE could be that of one of the parents of Theonis who, on the occasion of Theonis’ birth, asked the astrologer to write both horoscopes.

The astrologer gives the day and hour of the birth and then lists in which zodiacal sign the different planets were (i. e., in which section of the ecliptic they were located) at that time; for example, in the first horoscope, the Sun and Moon are in Aquarius, Saturn in Sagittarius, Mercury in Capricorn, Venus, Mars and Jupiter in Pisces. In the second horoscope, that for Theonis, the astrologer has corrected some data (the name of two zodiac signs and a planet) by striking through the incorrect words and writing the corrections in the interlinear space (for the signs at ll. 18 and 22) and on the side (for the planet at l. 21).

How did the Babylonians know about planets?

The ancient Babylonians, known for their advanced arithmetic skills, were able to predict the position of celestial bodies using advanced geometric techniques, possibly invented in 14th-century Europe. Clay cuneiform tablets found in Babylonia and Uruk reveal that the ancient Babylonians were particularly intrigued by the position of Jupiter, as they calculated its position using a time-velocity graph. This discovery highlights the ancient Babylonians’ advanced knowledge in astronomy.

Who first practiced astrology?

Babylonian astrology is the earliest organized system of astrology, originating in the 2nd millennium BC. It is believed to have originated in the Sumerian period in the 3rd millennium BC, but the evidence of ancient celestial omens is insufficient to establish an integrated theory. The history of scholarly celestial divination is generally reported to begin with late Old Babylonian texts (c. 1800 BC) and continue through the Middle Babylonian and Middle Assyrian periods (c. 1200 BC).

By the 16th century BC, Babylonian astrology was primarily focused on weather and political matters, with astronomical symbols likely representing seasonal tasks. Astrological symbols were used as a yearly almanac of listed activities to remind communities to perform tasks appropriate to the season or weather. By the 4th century, mathematical methods had progressed enough to calculate future planetary positions with reasonable accuracy, leading to the emergence of extensive ephemerides.

Babylonian astrology developed within the context of divination, with the oldest known detailed texts of Babylonian divination dating back to around 1875 BC. These texts demonstrate the same interpretational format as celestial omen analysis, with blemishes and marks found on the liver of sacrificial animals being interpreted as symbolic signs presenting messages from the gods to the king.

Did the Sumerians understand astronomy?

The Sumerians were able to observe five visible planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) without the use of telescopes, tracking their movements against the backdrop of stars.

What ancient civilization was best at astronomy?

The Babylonians, based on mythological beliefs, were the first to predict eclipses, track the movements of the sun, moon, Mercury, and Venus, and calculate the length of a year. They accomplished these feats without the use of telescopes, satellites, or computer technology, using careful observation, generational record-keeping, pattern recognition, and early mathematics. However, their understanding of the cosmos was far removed from our own. The first ancient civilizations, the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Hebrews, conceived their universe as an oyster surrounded by water, which differs significantly from our modern understanding.

How did Sumerians use astronomy?

Sumerians contributed to the early formation of the zodiacal system by dividing the sky into constellations. They meticulously recorded celestial events, such as stars and planets, to track time and seasons. Sumerians also developed a sexagesimal numerical system, consisting of wedge-shaped cuneiform symbols representing numbers, which contributed to the development of the zodiac and constellations.

How did Mesopotamians know about the planets?

The Sumerians were adept at observing the night sky, meticulously recording celestial events and utilizing these observations to construct early astronomical calendars.

How did ancient civilizations use astrology?

Astrology is a complex practice that posits that celestial phenomena hold significance for Earth’s events. It originated in Mesopotamia and was imported into the Hellenistic world from the early 4th century BCE. It was associated with three philosophical schools: Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics, who believed in the cosmos as a single, living, integrated whole. Hellenistic astrology also drew on Egyptian temple culture, particularly the belief that the soul could ascend to the stars. By the 1st century CE, the belief in the close link between humanity and the stars had become democratized and diversified across Greek and Roman culture.

Astrology was practiced at the imperial court and in the street, and it could be used to predict individual destiny, avert undesirable events, and arrange auspicious moments for new ventures. It was conceived of as natural science and justified by physical influences or considered divination, concerned with communication with gods and goddesses. In some versions, planets were seen as timing devices, indicating the ebb and flow of human affairs. Astrology had a radical view of time, where the future already existed, and astrologers’ task was to intervene in time to alter the future to human advantage.

There was no single version of astrology, and disputes about its nature and capabilities arose. From the early 4th century, it faced challenges from Christianity and the fragmentation of classical culture, especially in Western Europe. However, it survived in Persia, exerted a powerful influence on Indian astrology, and was transmitted to the Islamic world. Understanding astrology’s place in Greek and Roman culture is crucial for understanding religion, politics, and science in these societies and the history of Western science.

Did Mesopotamians believe in astrology?

Ancient Mesopotamia was a region with a strong belief in astrological omens, particularly lunar eclipses. The eclipse was considered a sign of evil, leading to a “substitute king ritual” where the actual king stepped down for up to 100 days, pretending to be a farmer, and a “substitute king” formally became king in his place. The substitute king had to be sacrificed to absorb the evil omen’s effects, allowing the real king to resume his royal duties.

Stargazers likely named constellations and their stars at the beginning of Mesopotamian history, but it wasn’t until later that the actual appearance of these constellations and their representations were described in written form on cuneiform tablets.

Did the Sumerians create astrology?

Babylonian astrology is the earliest organized system of astrology, originating in the 2nd millennium BC. It is believed to have originated in the Sumerian period in the 3rd millennium BC, but the evidence of ancient celestial omens is insufficient to establish an integrated theory. The history of scholarly celestial divination is generally reported to begin with late Old Babylonian texts (c. 1800 BC) and continue through the Middle Babylonian and Middle Assyrian periods (c. 1200 BC).

By the 16th century BC, Babylonian astrology was primarily focused on weather and political matters, with astronomical symbols likely representing seasonal tasks. Astrological symbols were used as a yearly almanac of listed activities to remind communities to perform tasks appropriate to the season or weather. By the 4th century, mathematical methods had progressed enough to calculate future planetary positions with reasonable accuracy, leading to the emergence of extensive ephemerides.

Babylonian astrology developed within the context of divination, with the oldest known detailed texts of Babylonian divination dating back to around 1875 BC. These texts demonstrate the same interpretational format as celestial omen analysis, with blemishes and marks found on the liver of sacrificial animals being interpreted as symbolic signs presenting messages from the gods to the king.