Why Was Astrology Created

At the time of his birth or conception, he was born under the signs of the zodiac (the 12 astrological constellations). This science, known as

Who invented astrology and why?

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.”

How did astrology come to be?

) and extended to India, but it was in Greek society during the Hellenistic period that it took on its Western shape. Astrology was introduced to Islamic culture as part of the Greek legacy, and it was then reintroduced to European society through Arabic studies in the Middle Ages. According to Greek mythology, the sky is split into 12 zodiac constellations, and the bright stars that appear at regular intervals have a spiritual impact on human events. Astrology was also important in ancient China, and it became normal practice in imperial times to have a horoscope cast for each newborn child and for all significant life events. Despite the fact that the Copernican philosophy broke the geocentric worldview required by astrology, interest in the subject has persisted into contemporary times, and astrological signs are still generally considered to determine personality.

Is astrology based on any scientific principles?

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.

What motivated the Babylonians to develop astrology?

Astrology and astronomy were synonymous in ancient times. Babylon was the birthplace of astrology as we know it today. It sprang from the concept that because the Gods in the heavens oversaw man’s fate, the stars might reveal fortunes and that the motions of the stars and planets determine people’s fate on Earth. The earth’s rotation around the sun causes the sun to travel eastward against the background of the constellations, causing the planets and moon to shift around the sky, and causing different constellations to rise from the horizon at different times of the year.

“The Biblical word “hosts of heaven for the starry universe excellently reflects the view held by Babylonian astrologers,” Morris Jastrow noted. The moon, planets, and stars formed an army that was constantly active, executing military maneuvers that were the result of careful planning and had a specific goal in mind. It was up to the priestthe bdru, or “inspector,” as the astrologer and “inspector of the liver was known, to figure out what this aim was. To do so, a system of interpretation was developed, which was less logical and elaborate than the system of hepatoscopy (liver divination), but still worthy of attention as an example of men’s pitiful desire to peer into the minds of the gods, as well as the influence that Babylonian-Assyrian astrology had throughout the ancient world. This astrology, which was accepted by the Greeks and woven into Greek modes of thought and ways of existence, was passed down from generation to generation through the Middle Ages and into modern science. However, before we analyze this idea and its interpretation, we must first consider the heavenly bodies that Babylonian and Assyrian astrologers recognized.

Babylonian Astrology and Constellations

The Babylonians were the first to apply tales to constellations and astrology, as well as to characterize the zodiac’s 12 signs. The Babylonian system of astrology was developed by the Egyptians, and the Greeks moulded it into its contemporary form. Some Babylonian tales were adopted by the Greeks and Romans, while others were created by them. The word “astrology” (as well as astronomy) comes from the Greek word “star.”

Many of the constellations’ names and shapes are said to trace back to Sumerian times since the animals and figures picked were significant in their lives. If the constellations were created by the Egyptians, they would have ibises, jackals, crocodiles, and hippos in their environment instead of goats and bulls. Why isn’t there a tiger or a monkey if they’re from India? Capricorn was known to the Assyrians as “munaxa” (the goat fish).

The Greeks embellished the stars with the names of heroes. These were given Latin names by the Romans, which we still use today. Ptolemy compiled a list of 48 constellations. His list includes ones that he, the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans couldn’t see because they were in the southern hemisphere.

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.

People believe in astrology for a variety of reasons.

Astrology has been shown in studies to significantly impact and even validate a person’s self-concept, as well as improve their confidence in their unique characteristics. In short, astrology’s ruminative nature stimulates self-reflection, allowing people to better understand themselves and their surroundings.

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.

Who invented 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.