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.”
In This Article...
What is astrology’s oldest form?
The earliest organized system of astrology is Babylonian astrology, which dates back to the 2nd millennium BC. Although there is speculation that some type of astrology originated during the Sumerian period in the third millennium BC, individual references to ancient celestial omens dated to this period are not regarded sufficient evidence to indicate an integrated system of astrology. Scholarly celestial divination is generally said to have started with late Old Babylonian literature (c. 1800 BC) and continued through the Middle Babylonian and Middle Assyrian periods (c. 1200 BC).
The use of omen-based astrology was widespread by the 16th century BC, as indicated by the creation of the Enuma Anu Enlil, a comprehensive reference work. It included 70 cuneiform tablets with 7,000 heavenly omens on them. Texts from this period also mention an oral tradition, the origins and content of which are unknown. Prior to the 7th century BC, practitioners’ understanding of astronomy was fairly poor, and Babylonian astrology was essentially prosaic, preoccupied with the prediction of weather and political concerns. Astrological symbols were most likely used as a yearly almanac of listed activities to remind a community to do things that were appropriate for the season or weather (such as symbols representing times for harvesting, gathering shell-fish, fishing by net or line, sowing crops, collecting or managing water reserves, hunting, and seasonal tasks critical in ensuring the survival of children and young animals for the larger group). Their mathematical skills had advanced to the point where they could anticipate future planetary placements with considerable accuracy by the 4th century, at which point elaborate ephemerides began to appear.
Babylonian astrology arose from the practice of divination.
The oldest known detailed writings of Babylonian divination are a collection of 32 tablets with inscribed liver models originating from around 1875 BC, and these show the same interpretational framework as celestial omen analysis.
The blemishes and marks on the sacrificial animal’s liver were seen as symbolic signs from the gods, delivering messages to the king.
The gods were also thought to appear as heavenly pictures of the planets or stars with which they were linked. As a result, evil celestial omens associated with a particular planet were interpreted as signs of the god that planet represented being dissatisfied or disturbed. Attempts were made to satisfy the god and discover workable means for the deity’s expression to be realized without causing considerable harm to the king and his nation. An astronomical report to King Esarhaddon about a lunar eclipse in January 673 BC demonstrates how the ritualistic use of substitute kings, or substitute events, combined an unwavering belief in magic and omens with a purely mechanical view that the astrological event must have some kind of natural correlate:
… A flood will occur at the start of the year, causing the dikes to be breached. The monarch, my lord, should write to me when the Moon has made the eclipse. As a stand-in for the monarch, I’ll cut through a dike in the middle of the night in Babylonia. No one will be aware of it.
In her 1995 book Mesopotamian Astrology, Ulla Koch-Westenholz argues that this ambivalence between a theistic and a mechanical worldview defines the Babylonian concept of celestial divination as one that, despite its heavy reliance on magic, is free of the implications of targeted punishment for the purpose of revenge, and thus “shares some of the defining traits of modern science: it is objective and value-free, it operates according to known rules, and its data are consi
The most important distinction between ancient Babylonian astrology and other divinatory disciplines, according to Koch-Westenholz, was that the former was originally solely concerned with mundane astrology, was geographically oriented and specifically applied to countries, cities, and nations, and was almost entirely concerned with the welfare of the state and the king as the nation’s governing head.
As a result, mundane astrology is considered one of the oldest branches of astrology. The techniques and practice of natal astrology were only developed after the gradual rise of horoscopic astrology in the 6th century BC.
What is the zodiac’s age?
2,500 years ago, during the “Age of Aries,” the zodiac system was created in Babylonia. It is assumed that the precession of the equinoxes was unknown at the time. In modern use of the coordinate system, the option of interpreting the system as sidereal, with the signs fixed to the stellar backdrop, or tropical, with the signs fixed to the point (vector of the Sun) at the March equinox, is offered.
The tropical technique is used in Western astrology, but the sidereal approach is used in Hindu astrology. As a result, the once-unifying zodiacal coordinate system is gradually drifting apart, with a clockwise (westward) precession rate of 1.4 degrees each century.
This means that the tropical sign of Aries is currently located somewhere within the constellation Pisces, according to the tropical zodiac used in Western astronomy and astrology (“Age of Pisces”).
The ayanamsa, ayan meaning “transit” or “movement,” and amsa meaning “little part,” or the movement of equinoxes in small sections, is taken into account by the sidereal coordinate system. It is unclear when Indians first became aware of the precession of the equinoxes, but Bhskara II’s 12th-century treatise Siddhanta Shiromani contains equations for measuring the precession of the equinoxes, and claims that his equations are based on some lost Suryasiddhanta equations plus the Munjaala equation.
Hipparchus is credited with discovering precession in 130 BC. In the seventh book of his 2nd century astronomical literature, Almagest, Ptolemy draws from Hipparchus’ now-lost work “On the Displacement of the Solstitial and Equinoctial Points,” in which he describes the phenomena of precession and calculates its importance. Ptolemy stated that in Greek mathematical astrology, the zodiac was always started at the vernal equinox, and this point was always referred to as “the first degree” of Aries. Because its starting point travels across the circle of backdrop constellations throughout time, it is known as the “tropical zodiac” (from the Greek word trpos, turn).
In Geminus of Rhodes’ 1st century BC astronomical book, the principle of the vernal point acting as the first degree of the zodiac for Greek astronomers is described. In contrast to the previous Chaldean (Babylonian) system, which placed these points within the zodiac signs, Geminus says that Greek scientists of his period correlate the initial degrees of the zodiac signs with the two solstices and the two equinoxes. This shows that, contrary to popular belief, Ptolemy just defined Greek astronomical conventions and did not invent the tropical zodiac theory.
In his astrological text, the Tetrabiblos, Ptolemy demonstrates that the principle of the tropical zodiac was well known to his forefathers, explaining why it would be a mistake to associate the seasonally aligned zodiac’s regularly spaced signs with the irregular boundaries of the visible constellations:
The equinoctial and tropical points are used to determine the beginnings of the signs, as well as the starts of the terms. This rule is not only stated explicitly by writers on the subject, but it is further demonstrated by the constant proof that their natures, effects, and familiarities have no other origin than the tropics and equinoxes, as has already been demonstrated. And, if other beginnings were permitted, it would either be necessary to exclude the natures of the signs from prognostication theory, or impossible to avoid error in retaining and employing them, because the regularity of their spaces and distances, on which their influence is based, would be invaded and broken into.
Who created the zodiac signs?
Astrology is the study of celestial bodies’ movements and relative placements, which are thought to have an impact on human affairs and the natural world. The 12 zodiac signs, one of the earliest notions of astrology, were devised by the Babylonians around 1894 BC.
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.
What is Islam’s position on astrology?
Astrology is the study of celestial bodies’ movements and relative placements, which are thought to have an impact on human affairs and the natural world. According to historian Emilie Savage-Smith, astrology (ilm al-nujm, “the study of the stars”) was “by far” the most popular of the “many activities aiming to predict future occurrences or perceive hidden phenomena” in early Islamic history.
Despite Islamic prohibitions, some medieval Muslims were interested in studying the apparent motion of the stars. This was partially due to their belief in the importance of the celestial bodies, and partly due to the fact that desert inhabitants frequently traveled at night and relied on knowledge of the constellations for navigation. Muslims needed to determine the time of prayers, the direction the kaaba would face, and the correct orientation of the mosque after the arrival of Islam, all of which helped give a religious impetus to the study of astronomy and contributed to the belief that the celestial bodies had an impact on terrestrial affairs as well as the human condition.
The criteria for Islam’s attitude on astrology are laid out in Islamic jurisprudence, the Quran, the Hadith, Ijma (scholarly consensus), and Qiyas (analogy). The idea is further differentiated into that which is either halal (authorized) or haram (forbidden) (forbidden). The view that astrology is forbidden by the authorities, as enshrined in the Quran and Hadith, is shared by all Islamic sects and academics.
What religion is the origin of astrology?
The Chinese calendar, which is related with Chinese astrology and ancient religion, is the basis for the zodiac’s history. Taoism was one of the religions that impacted the zodiac. Constellations and space are used in Taoist beliefs to identify a person’s “future.” This is relevant to the zodiac because, according to Chinese astrology, the placements of objects in space can influence a person’s future. They used the sun to determine how all of the zodiac signs would function in relation to the dates and periods.
A yin-yang symbol is frequently incorporated in the middle of various zodiacs, which reflects any two opposing principles in the cosmos and how everything works. The religion Taoism is the source of the yin-yang. It’s one of Taoism’s most well-known symbols, which holds the notion that “a man is a microcosm for the universe.” The yin-yang is linked to the zodiac because it is used in conjunction with the five components of the Zodiac to read the ten stems, which are used to tally days, months, and years. The yin-yang influences the traits of the 12 zodiac animals when they are combined.
Buddhism is another example of how religion and the zodiac are linked, with one tradition claiming that Buddha invites all the animals chosen for the zodiac. This is significant in Chinese culture since this religion, which has had the biggest religious impact on China, is practiced by the majority of the population. The influence of religion has had a significant impact on how the zodiac is structured and what it has evolved into.
Is astrology a reliable source of information?
Is astrology accurate? Reading horoscopes is a popular pastime, but is there any scientific evidence that they are accurate?
When you’re enticed by a familiar interruption and your willpower weakens, problems can occur.
Every day, up to 70 million Americans consult their horoscopes. At least, that’s what the American Federation of Astrologers claims. According to a Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life poll conducted twenty years ago, 25% of Americans believe that the positions of the stars and planets have an impact on our daily life. In 2012, the General Social Survey indicated that 34% of Americans think astrology is “extremely” or “kind of scientific,” with the percentage of individuals who think astrology is “not at all scientific” dropping from two-thirds to about half.
Astrology is the concept that astronomical phenomena, such as the stars over your head when you were born or the fact that Mercury is retrograde, have the potential to influence our daily lives and personality traits. Of course, this is distinct from astronomy, which is the scientific study of celestial objects, space, and the physics of the cosmos.
A particular facet of astrology, the foretelling of a person’s future or the provision of daily counsel via horoscopes, is gaining in popularity. The Cut, for example, recorded a 150 percent rise in horoscope page views in 2017 compared to 2016.
Clearly, a lot of people are trying to figure out how to read the stars for guidance. Understanding the positions of the stars is the foundation of astrology, which appears to be a scientific discipline in and of itself. Is there any scientific evidence that astrology has an impact on our personalities and lives?
But, since I still have five minutes of this six-minute podcast to fill, let’s take a look at how astrology has been put to the test.
Is astrology considered a religion?
There have been certain themes that have confused even the sharpest minds on the planet since the birth of human civilisation. The link between the cosmic realm and our daily life is one such topic. Astrologers are specialists who work with the positions of the stars and planets. They turn what they’ve learned into what’s known as prediction.
While each religion is essentially a system of laws based on a set of beliefs, astrology is a perfect marriage of science and art that uses celestial body placements. So, whether Christians believe in Jesus Christ’s good works and teachings or Hindus believe in ‘the science of light,’ or ‘Jyotish Shastra,’ fortune telling is still the bottom line.
Surprisingly, these prophecies or foretellings may be found in many civilizations and religions. The tactics may change, but the outcomes remain consistent. Have you ever considered how these ideas can be related despite the fact that the belief ecosystem is so dissimilar? So, here’s a no-brainer: everyone is, and will continue to be, concerned about their future and seeking to be their best selves, capable of overcoming problems. Almost everyone else aspires to anticipate what will happen ahead of time and to act as efficiently as possible when events do occur. People of all faiths and cultures may agree on this.
Calculations are performed by all religions, albeit the methods used may differ. The outcomes, on the other hand, are the same. Almost everyone else aspires to anticipate what will happen ahead of time and to act as efficiently as possible when events do occur. People of all faiths and cultures may agree on this. There are various viewpoints on the matter, but it all boils down to education. Look for an astrological institute that teaches you everything you need to know about the various astrology courses that are accessible online. Online astrology classes are available, as are astrology courses offered through distance education.
Have you ever observed how our celebrations are organized when it comes to astrology and religion? The celebrations highlight the connection between astrology and religion. If you look closely, you’ll notice that all of the festivals are based on the position of the stars/moon and the sun. This is true of all religions, to the extent where astrology has become an integral part of religious rituals.
So, if you look at data from the beginning of time to the present day, you’ll discover a wide range of astrological systems, all branching out of different systems but ultimately pointing to an astrological-religious tie. In India, one of the most prevalent forms of astrology is Vedic astrology.
Astrology is the foundation of Hinduism. People hurry to their astrologer as soon as a baby is born to get his ‘Janam Patri’ made and to choose the best name for him. The Mahabharata, for example, mentions astrology in several Hindu epics. Only the ‘Brahmins’ had access to astrology knowledge at first. Then they would sit in the temples and predict the future. As a result, a relationship was created between astrology and Hinduism.
The concept of Astrology became increasingly available to the general public in the area as time passed. In 2020, everyone with even a passing interest in astrology will be able to find lessons and research. Astrology is a ‘pseudoscience’ that calculates and interprets the movement of planets. It isn’t predicated on wild guesses. Several Hindu households consult their astrologer before making major decisions.
In Islam, astrology is also a belief. Their forebears believed that the movement of the stars, sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies might influence the lives of individuals who lived on the planet, as seen through the eyes of India’s best astrologer. Their faith in astrology has waned over time, and just a few people still believe it. It is entirely dependent on the individual. While a conservative Muslim may not believe in astrology, someone who does not believe in any religion may have faith in it.
Christianity is the only religion that is known to believe in astrology. People should not trust astrology, according to the Bible. Despite this, there are numerous astrologers in the Western world. They claim that the Bible has been misinterpreted and that it warns about specific sins committed by specific persons. Western countries have much fewer astrologers than countries like India. This also reveals how little astrology is believed in Western countries. People were already skeptical about astrology, and the Bible only adds to their concerns. As a result, astrology is only believed by a small number of Christians.
India is a top country in terms of astrological believing, as may be deduced. At least once throughout their life, more than half of the population has sought the advice of an astrologer. Because Hinduism and Islam are both widespread in India, astrology devotees are likely to be as well. Astrology does a fantastic job of predicting the future and providing solutions to difficulties.
Individual belief systems differ, and it is up to them to decide whether or not to believe in something. Despite its 5000-year history, astrology continues to thrive. This confirms our belief in astrology.
Here are some crucial details:
- The hostility of some devout religious believers dates back to a time when priests and religious leaders attempted to interpret and mediate all religious experiences from their positions of authority. Before the development of male-dominated organized religion, our predecessors sought heavenly inspiration directly from the stars and thought themselves to be an intricate part of an active universe unfolding.
- Anyone could use astrology as a tool and a belief system based on an enchantment with the divine orchestrations of the heavens. Astrology presupposes the existence of an unlimited and purposeful mind that pervades the skies and the earth in a grand symphony of meaning, rather than the worship of a particular deity or leader.
A client’s confidence might be boosted with the help of a trustworthy, neutral astrologer. I’ve helped several customers reclaim and activate their religious roots through a chart analysis, guiding them toward the power that comes with following a religious path.
For some people, religion is a cornerstone of psychological and mental well-being. Astrological principles and practices are free of sexism, racism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression, unlike many organized faiths. Even the classic astrological metaphors of masculine and feminine planets and energies have been reinvented as non-gendered receptive and active energies. Every individual, like every planet and star in the sky, has a firm seat at the table of the universe.
This is a large issue, and I’m not sure if I’ve offered enough material to tie everything together. Please keep an eye on my column for more information on this topic in the future.
