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What year did the Zodiacs first appear?
The zodiac signs are a division of the ecliptic that dates back to Babylonian astronomy in the first millennium BC. Stars from earlier Babylonian star catalogues, such as the MUL.APIN catalogue, which was produced approximately 1000 BC, are used in the zodiac. Some constellations, such as Gemini “The Twins,” from MA.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL “The Great Twins,” and Cancer “The Crab,” from AL.LUL “The Crayfish,” can be traced even further back, to Bronze Age (First Babylonian dynasty) sources.
When did the 12 signs of the zodiac first appear in history?
The 12 zodiac signs, with which many people are likely familiar today, were created during this Ancient Greek period.
The signs of Aries (approximately March 21-April 19), Taurus (April 20-May 20), Gemini (May 21-June 20), Cancer (June 21-July 22), Leo (July 23-Aug. 22), Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22), Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22), Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21), Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21 These Western, or tropical, zodiac signs were named after constellations and paired with dates based on their apparent relationship to the sun’s position in the sky.
By 1500 BC, the Babylonians had divided the zodiac into 12 equal signs, with constellation names that were similar to those we know today, such as The Great Twins, The Lion, and The Scales, and these were later adopted into Greek divination. These 12 signs were popularized by the astronomer Ptolemy, author of the Tetrabiblos, which became a key work in the history of Western astrology.
“Ptolemy codified the idea that there were 12 signs of the zodiac that were 30 broad, and that the sun travelled through these signs on a regular basis throughout the year,” adds Odenwald. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “zodiac” derives from the Greek, from a term for “sculpted animal figure,” and the sequence in which the signs are normally enumerated also stems from that time period.
What are the 2020 zodiac signs?
According to Western astrology, there are 12 zodiac signs (meaning “signs of the zodiac”) “There are 13 constellations that the Sun travels through each year, not just a circle of animals:
Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
Unfortunately, astrologers’ dates given to star signs are incorrect, in addition to neglecting Ophiuchus. Here’s what astrology claims happens in the night sky, based on its line-of-sight theory “Insights into people’s moods and fortunes:
The Sun’s position in the sky according to astrology (wrong)
Here’s where and when astrologers pretend the Sun is in the sky, dictating what the majority of people believe their birth star sign is:
- December 22nd to January 19th is Capricorn’s sign.
- January 20-February 18 is the sign of Aquarius.
- February 19March 20: Pisces
- Aries (March 21April 19) is the first sign of the zodiac.
- Taurus (April 20May 20) is the zodiac sign of Taurus.
- May 21June 20: Gemini
- Cancer is on the 21st of June and 22nd of July.
- Leo (July 23August 22) is the sign of the lion.
- August 23September 22: Virgo
- September 23October 22: Libra
- Scorpio: 23rd October 21st November
- November 22December 21: Sagittarius
The Sun’s actual position in the sky (correct)
This is when the Sun is in the constellations, hence your true “star sign,” with some astrological overlap and plenty of surprises:
- January 20February 16: Capricorn
- Aquarius: February 16th through March 11th
- Pisces (March 11April 18) is a water sign.
- Aries: April 18May 13
- May 13June 21: Taurus
- June 21July 20: Gemini
- July 20August 10 (Cancer) (21 days)
- August 10September 16 is the sign of Leo.
- September 16October 30 (45 days!) Virgo
- 30th of October 23rd of November
- Scorpio: November 23November 29 (just a week!) Scorpio: November 23November 29 (just a week!) Scorpio: November 23
- Ophiuchus (not an astrological sign of the zodiac, but very real!): November 29December 17 (not an astrological sign of the zodiac, but very real!)
- December 17th January 20th, Sagittarius
Because the Sun isn’t in the sign of the zodiac when astrology says it is, your horoscope is probably incorrect. Of course, none of this matters, but knowing why will help you have a better knowledge of the globe you live on.
What was Jesus’ take on astrology?
I believe that God created astrology as a tool for us to better understand ourselves and to use as a spiritual tool. Numerous bible texts, in my opinion, support astrology. As a Christian, I try to remember what Jesus said. “There shall be signs in the sun, moon, and stars,” Christ predicted in Luke 21:25, referring to the importance of astrology. He explains the value of astrology with his pupils, as well as how it might be used as a sign of his return. Why would Jesus provide us this critical knowledge if we are not intended to understand the energies of the planets and signs, and if he was actually against it? Just as the three wise men knew Jesus would be born under the star in the sky that led them to him lying in the manger, Jesus warned us that when he returns, there will be signals in the sky.
Is there any truth to the zodiac signs?
Ancient astronomers envisioned the zodiac constellations as having unique patterns that reflect the shapes of animals and humans. As illustrated, the zodiac constellations form an imagined belt in the sky that stretches about eight degrees above and below the ecliptic plane.
Who developed the 12 signs of the zodiac?
According to NASA, the Babylonians had already constructed a 12-month calendar based on the phases of the moon when they created the zodiac. Despite the fact that they identified 13 constellations that make up the zodiac, they decided to leave one out so that the zodiac signs would coincide better with their 12-month calendar.
But, before all of you Aries, Cancers, and Leos start making fun of your new Ophiuchus friends, keep in mind that the addition of this 13th constellation shifts every zodiac sign’s time frame slightly, which means that, while I’ve loved my life as a textbook Pisces, I discovered that I’m now an Aquarius after doing my research. (Gasp!)
Although 3,000 years old, this information reappeared this year when NASA disclosed scientific data regarding the Earth’s axis, which has moved and no longer points in the exact same direction as it previously did, affecting the amount of time each constellation is visible in the sky.
The astrology community (and Twitter) went crazy, and many ardent followers assumed NASA was involved “added a sign to the zodiac, causing havoc with the signs we’re all familiar with. That, however, is not the case. NASA omitted an astrological symbol from the design. They wrote a Tumblr blog entry about it “I’ve just done the math. If you want to point the finger, it should go to the ancient Babylonians for leaving Ophiuchus out of the picture in the first place.
Who invented the zodiac?
Jones stated, “This is possibly older than any other known case.” “It’s also older than any of the written-down horoscopes from the Greco-Roman period,” he said, adding, “we have a number of horoscopes written down as a kind of document on papyrus or on a wall, but none of them as old as this.”
The discovery was presented in the most recent edition of the Journal for the History of Astronomy by Jones and StaoForenbaher, a researcher at the Institute for Anthropological Research in Zagreb.
Forenbaher told LiveScience that the crew was working near the entrance of a Croatian cave in 1999, a site well known to archaeologists and residents of the surrounding hamlet of Nakovana who simply named it “Spila,” which means “the cave.”
Nobody realized at the time, however, that the cave featured a part that had been locked for over 2,000 years. Forenbaher’s girlfriend (now his wife) dug under the rubble and discovered a broad, low passageway that ran for over 33 feet in the dark (10 meters). “The unique King Tut experience, arriving to a spot where nobody has been for a couple of thousand years,” Forenbaher said of passing down the corridor.
When Forenbaher entered the cavern, “there was a very thin limestone crust on the surface that was splitting under your boots,” indicating that “nobody had gone there in a very, very, long time,” he added.
The researchers eventually discovered that it had been blocked off in the first century B.C., presumably as a result of a Roman military effort against the locals.
The archaeologists discovered a phallic-shaped stalagmite, as well as countless drinking containers deposited over hundreds of years and something more. “These very small bits and pieces of ivory came out in the course of that dig,” Forenbaher explained, “and we didn’t even recognize what we had at the time.”
The group got to work. “It took years to piece them together, find more bits and pieces, and figure out what they were,” Forenbaher explained. They ended there staring at the ruins of the world’s oldest known astrologer’s board.
Archaeologists aren’t sure how the board got inside the cave or where it came from. The Babylonians developed their own version of horoscopes around 2,400 years ago, which is where astrology began in antiquity.
Then, around 2,100 years ago, astrology went to the eastern Mediterranean, where it became popular in Egypt, which was ruled by a dynasty of Greek monarchs at the time.
Jones explained, “It gets transformed very much into what we think of as the Greek style of astrology, which is really the present type of astrology.” “The Greek style of astrology is the foundation of astrology that spans the Middle Ages, modern Europe, modern India, and beyond.”
The ivory used to produce the zodiac images dates back to 2,200 years, just before the advent of this new kind of astrology, according to radiocarbon dating.
The location of the board’s manufacture is unknown, though Egypt is a possibility. They believe the ivory came from an elephant that was slain or died in the area around that period. Because ivory is such a valuable commodity, it would have been preserved for decades, if not a century, before being utilized to make the zodiac. These signs would have been adhered to a flat (probably wooden) surface to form the board, which could have featured other features that did not survive.
It could have been loaded onto a ship sailing through the Adriatic Sea, a vital trade route that the cave overlooks. Illyrians were the people who resided in Croatia at the time. Despite the fact that ancient writers had a negative view of them, archaeological evidence reveals that they interacted with surrounding Greek colonies and were a vital part of the Mediterranean civilization.
An astrologer from one of the Greek colonies may have visited the cave to make a prediction. A consultation in the cavern’s flickering light would have been a powerful experience, if not particularly convenient for the astrologer.
Jones commented, “It doesn’t sound like a very practical site for performing horoscope homework like calculating planetary placements.”
Another hypothesis is that the Illyrians acquired or stole the astrological board without fully comprehending its use. The board, along with the drinking containers, would have been presented as an offering to an unknown deity worshipped in the cave.
“This astrologer’s board could have shown up as an offering along with other exceptional items that were either bought or robbed from a passing ship,” Forenbaher speculated. He noted that the drinking cups discovered in the cave had been chosen with care. They were made in another country, and only a few cruder amphora storage vessels were discovered with them.
“It nearly appears that someone was bringing out wine there, pouring it, and then discarding the amphora away because they weren’t good enough for the gods, or to be deposited in the shrine,” Forenbaher said.
The phallic-shaped stalagmite, which may have formed naturally on the site, appears to have served as a focal point for these offerings and rituals held in the cavern. Forenbaher cautioned that all stalagmites appear phallic in some way, and it’s difficult to know what significance it had to the cave’s inhabitants. “It had to mean something significant,” he said.
“This is a spot where goods of local importance were deposited with some type of supernatural power, transcendental being, or whatever.”