Astrology During The Hellenistic Period

Astrology Astrology first started in 3000 B.C. in Mesopotamia when the Babylonians were the first great astronomers of the early times. They had made some pretty notable discoveries such as the zodiac and how constellations link with the time of year. “The zodiac is the sequence of the constellations along which the sun and the planets appear to move in their passage through the heavens,” (“HISTORY OF ASTROLOGY”). This means that the constellations that link with the zodiac have their own links with the gods of that time period. During this time period, many people believed in divine influences and myths that could help guide them through life. Many people looked for answers in the sky. Later on, during 600 B.C. there were two types of astrology in existence during the Greek and Roman times. The first type was horoscopes that described details about someone’s past, present, and future. The second type was “theurgic (literally meaning god-work), which emphasized the soul’s ascent to the stars,” (“History of Astrology”). As we move on to 1000 B.C., its is the time of India known as the hellenistic period because of Greek influence. During the hellenistic period, astrology was mainly practiced around the Mediterranean area and focused on horoscopes just like Greece and Rome. Astrology is known as the study of the sun, moon, and the

“When scores of astrologers jumped into a bandwagon of collective hysteria by proclaiming the imminent end of the world,” (“Astrology and Prophecy in the Renaissance”). The astrologers thought that the planets of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. would bring a huge flood to earth and destroy it. So, then many people argued if this event would really take place. Many, people in Europe had frantically moved in anticipation to this disaster. The flood had never came but lots of rain fell in Italy and most of Europe stayed dry. Although,