Astrology’s birthplace was in Mesopotamia, now know as Iraq, and dates from the 3rd millennium B.C. This period was known as the Chaldean Empire and during that time the stars were studied to such an extent that Chaldea became synonymous with astrology. Babylonian priests recorded the movements of the planets, and astronomy and astrology were one and the same subject.
Gradually, characteristics were ascribed to the planets. It was noted that the planets followed a particular path around the ecliptic known as the zodiac. The term horoscope derives from the Greek hora meaning time and skopos meaning observer, and the oldest known observers date back to 412 B.C.
Astrology spread from Babylon to Egypt, where the Greek historian Herodotus wrote about the Egyptian astrologers, and from there on to Athens and to Rome. In fact, Caesar took Taurus as his emblem and Augustus had his silver coins stamped with his birth sign of Capricorn. The Roman imperial chariots in the stadium belonged to 12 different stables each bearing a zodiac sign, and each of the lanes was dedicated to one of the planets, as were the seven days of the week.
In around, AD 130 Claudius Ptolemaeus created the Ptolemaic system which held that the Earth was the centre of the universe and all the planets circled around it. He also wrote various volumes known as Astrologer’s Works.
As Christianity grew in the west, astrology fell into disrepute there, but not in the Arabic world. There astrology remained very important and Arab countries built many observatories. It is noteworthy that the crescent moon and star still figure in many Islamic flags.
Astrology eventually found its way back into Europe where it tended to be studied by academics and scientists such as Albertus Magnus (1200-1280) and his disciple, Thomas Aquinas. Astrology became very popular for the rich and famous and it was a rare sovereign who chose to rule without an astrologer’s advice.