The History of the Zodiac

The zodiac and the first ephemerides were developed in Mesopotamia over a period of many centuries, from the second millennium B.C. to the first century A.D. These discoveries are hailed by historians of science as two of the greatest technical achievements of Antiquity. This lecture shows how the Babylonians, through many centuries of observation and record keeping, developed the zodiac. It also shows how the discovery of ancient astronomical and astrological tablets in modern day Iraq led to a new branch of astrology—western sidereal astrology—which, in its earliest rendering, is actually the oldest form of astrology. This presentation is a valuable resource for astrological scholars and all serious students of astrology, both tropical and sidereal. An earlier version of this lecture was presented to the Princeton Astrological Society in May 2022.