![]() The Egyptians put emphasis on the rising decan, the Greek system of planetary Gods, sign rulership, and the four elements. This system included the Babylonian zodiac wheel, but incorporated the Egyptian concept of dividing it into 36 sections of 10 degrees each. In the city of Alexandria-founded by Alexander during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE-scholars created Horoscopic astrology by merging Babylonian astrology with the Egyptian tradition of the Decanic zodiac. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY 3.0)Īfter the occupation of Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, Egypt came under Hellenistic rule. Ptolemaic Egyptian constellations at Dendera. The Greeks later provided the term for the zodiac when they described it as the zodiakos kyklos, aka “animal circle.” Each segment was often identified by the name of an animal. Each sign contained 30° of celestial longitude, creating the first known celestial coordinate system. ![]() Continuing on from the Sumerians’ research, the Babylonians created the first zodiac wheel.Īt around the end of the 5th century BCE, Babylonian astronomers divided the ecliptic into 12 equal “signs,” that correspond to the 12 months of the year at 30 days each. Within Mesopotamia, the Babylonians (also known as the Chaldeans) became the first great astronomers. ![]() In around 3000 BCE, they recorded and identified the prominent constellations and patterns. The Sumerians in Mesopotamia-a historical region of Western Asia-were the first to start noting the movements of the planets and stars. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain) A 6th century mosaic zodiac wheel in a synagogue in Beit Alpha, Israel, incorporating Greek-Byzantine elements. ![]()
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