A (Brief) History of Astrology
Let’s take a quick tour of the history of Astrology. This won’t be a deep dive into any particular development or system. We’ll save those topics for further posts. First, it is important to understand the legacy of Astrology and its impact on our culture, society, religious ideas, and spirituality.
When you consider how we mark time, the way we divided up Earth’s solar year, have you ever wondered why we chose twelve months when doing so? We have twelve months because of the twelve signs of the Zodiac. Or, more correctly, because in a single year, the Sun appeared to move through this projection we had imagined on the sky. We assigned a month to each of these transits through the signs. In fact, first we used the Moon and her movement through this cycle. Moon and month come from the same etymological root because of this. With the introduction of the Julian Calendar, the more accurate solar year became the way we measured our time.
We have seven days in a week because of the seven planets. Words, sayings and symbology related to Astrology have defined our religions, cultures, societies and civilizations. Our stories and myths feature twelve tribes of Israel, twelve disciples of Jesus, twelve Olympian gods, twelve helpers of Mithras, twelve feast days of Dinoysus, and so many other examples that fit this pattern. The point is, you can’t escape it, astrological thinking and symbology is tightly interwoven into the way we view the world and how we form and communicate ideas about it. We built the very world we live in today on the foundation of thinking rooted in Astrology.
When discussing how long Astrology has been around you will get a wide array of answers. Some base this on our current system, reaching back only to the Middle Ages, claiming it is simply superstitious nonsense in line with all kinds of other wacky beliefs and ideas of that time. Others go back to the Babylonian Empire (c.500 BCE) for the roots of what would be codified as Western Astrology by the Greeks. However, when we look at the legacy of our ancestors looking to the sky, tracking and predicting the movements of what they saw, developing systems of mythology and symbology around what we observed, it seems these ideas have been with us since our earliest history - or, maybe prehistory is more appropriate.
The Prehistoric Zodiac at Lascaux Cave, France (created c. 14,000 BCE)
In fact, the discoveries made around prehistoric astrological observations and ideas have spurned an entirely new field of archaeological study. It is known as Archeoastronomy and utilizes technology to wind back the sky to understand what people living tens of thousands of years ago would have seen and how that may have effected their culture, their building, and their artistic expression of their experiences. For instance, many researchers now believe the ancient cave paintings inside Lascaux Cave in France (estimated to have been created around 14,000 BCE) represent an ancient depiction of stars and constellations through animal symbology, even referring to one particular chamber as “The Prehistoric Zodiac”. The figures and scenes include clearly deliberate points and elements that seem to line up with prominent constellations and objects in the night sky that they would have experienced. These seemingly astrological depictions using natural symbology were put on these walls 11,000 years before the Babylonians (and then the Greeks) would solidify what we now have as the Western system.
Another example of the ancient roots of Astrology is Gobekli Tepe. It is probably the most important archaeological site on earth when it comes to the early evidence of humans coming together in the first steps toward civilization. It is located in Southeastern Turkey - a region commonly referred to as Anatolia. Its discovery is actually quite interesting. In 1963, an archaeological team consisting of American and Turkish researchers were touring the region in order to identify sites to excavate that would reveal more information and artifacts around the earliest human civilizations thought to have developed there. They came across a few carved stones partially revealed above the ground as well as worked stones harvested by local shepherds to repurpose. They evaluated the site as likely Byzantine based on the quality and skill displayed in the stonework and carvings. This wasn’t what they were looking for, so they moved on. Fast forward 30 years to 1994. German Archaeologist Klaus Schmidt was reviewing a collection of reports looking for a new dig site. He had just completed a project and was looking for his next one. He came across the initial 1963 report mentioned earlier, and decided this was as good a place as any since he knew at least something was there. What he would uncover would completely shake the current understanding of pre-civilzation human knowledge, skill, organization, religion and myth-making to the core. It would also upset a long held view that agricultural revolutions brought humans together, forming societies that then ushered in the development of spiritual ideas and priesthoods to unite and connect the people, now living in large numbers requiring common goals and motivation. The temple complex that would be revealed at Gobekli Tepe stands in stark contrast to these theories and caused experts to reevaluate their view of our ancient past.
Gobekli Tepe means “potbelly hill,” which is the local name for the site of what would become this incredible discovery. What researches found was that this hill was not, in fact, natural. It was the result of a series of ringed, megalithic enclosures that were built, used for centuries, only to then be intentionally filled in so another could be built on top. Four enclosures have been excavated to date. Because of this purposeful burial, organic material was entombed inside, making accurately dating the site possible. The results from the originally discovered enclosure blew their minds. It dated to sometime around 9000 BCE. That is at the end of the last Ice Age when humans were still living in small, nomadic clans, hunting and gathering for their survival. Ground penetrating radar allowed researchers to get a visual of the different levels of enclosures that were deep below the most recent constructions. They discovered at least another 16 megalithic rings lie beneath. After gathering core samples from these deeper layers, the earliest enclosures were dated. The results pushed the origin of the site back to around 12,000 BCE! This was long before humans were capable of such things according to the understanding at the time. The construction displays incredible levels of artistic skill, stone work, mathematical/engineering knowledge, and, above all, intense organization. Capabilities and activities that most in the established sciences believed came much later in our history. There is no evidence that people were existing in large societies at the time of construction, and there is no indication anyone lived at this site either. No signs of agriculture or food processing has been discovered at Gobekli Tepe. Instead, the site is full of the bones of animals (and some humans) that may indicate ritual sacrifice, feasting and, possibly, burial. The evidence so far indicates these enclosures served a purely ritualistic purpose.
Enclosures excavated at Gobekli Tepe (built c. 12,000 BCE)
The most complete enclosure, known as “Enclosure D”, provides a model for what the other rings looked like when they were still in use. The construction was a walled-in circle with a central pair of megalithic, T-shaped humanoid figures that stand in the middle. They are surrounded by twelve (of course) smaller T-shaped pillars around the perimeter with walls filling the space between them, creating the ring. The central figures weigh up to 20 tons each and are inset into notches carved out of the stone floor. Researchers discovered the location of the quarry used to carve these giant figures nearby, and within it was an unfinished T-shaped pillar in the process of being quarried. They estimated its weight to be somewhere around 50 tons. These were supposed to be cave people living in small, isolated bands, not the organized teams of skilled designers, architects, laborers, artists and engineers that were needed to pull off this feat over and over and over.
We know the T-shaped stones represent human-like figures because they are dressed, complete with belts and fox pelt loincloths, and have arms bent at their sides, hands resting on the front of the “body” just above their belt buckles, which are clearly represented.
Enclosure D at the Gobekli Tepe
One of the megalithic central pillars in Gobekli Tepe, Enclosure D
Detail view of the hands, belt, and fox pelt loincloth carved on the central megaliths at Gobekli Tepe, Enclosure D
Relief carvings on front of central pillars found at Gobekli Tepe, Enclosure D
Some believe these enclosures were built to observe eclipses and other celestial phenomena. A theory that seems to be supported by the changing orientations of the enclosures as they were constructed hundreds of years apart. On the front of these central pillars are carved interesting figures. One pillar features a relief carving that clearly depicts a bull. The bull is a ubiquitous symbol found throughout various ancient cultures representing solar deities and concepts. The carvings on the other megalith is a little more mysterious. The upper carving seems to depict the two central pillars holding hands. Many in the knee-jerk ancient astronaut camp believe there is some evidence of aliens here through claims of connection to aboriginal, and also Meso-American symbology, but the details are quite different and this seems unlikely. When you consider the lower carving, there may be more earthly ideas communicated here. It seems to show a smaller object passing in front of, and combining with, a larger object. Similar to the Moon moving in front of the Sun - what we call an eclipse. It is a possibility, and may indicate that the two pillars represent the classic duality of Masculine (Sun) and Feminine (Moon). The two figures joining together could represent the Sun and Moon doing the same during an eclipse from our observational platform of earth. If this is the case, the central pillars would be representations of Solar and Lunar myths. This isn’t a crazy idea as the Sun-Moon, masculine-feminine, God-Goddess duality is a basic idea that formed very early. This makes sense as the Sun and Moon are the most observable (and changing) objects in the sky, and splitting reality into two halves is the simplest way to divide it. If true, this would also indicate that these ancient human ancestors of ours knew how to predict events and track stars and planets. They didn’t gain this understanding and skill the day they built this ancient “temple”. These were ideas and abilities that had developed over some time before the first temple's construction. And what they built and left behind has symbology and features that lead many to see highly-developed astrological concepts in mind - 12,000 years ago!
Apis Bull depicted at Gobekli Tepe
Even though there are many mysteries that remain around this site, there are some very interesting details that seem to indicate these ritual enclosures were used to track and venerate astrological observations. There are some very familiar - and not so familiar - figures carved on the various stones and pillars that make up the temple.
For instance you can find many animals carved in relief throughout the site. On one stone pillar, a bull with a disc between its horns is depicted. This is a classic solar symbol usually referred to as an Apis Bull and is found throughout Sumerian, Egyptian, Babylonian and Hindu mythological/symbolic systems. Ideas that apparently developed very early, then later propagated as the first civilizations, such as the Sumerians, emerged, serving as a template for those that would follow, adapting and evolving the ideas inline with cultural developments and outlooks.
There are quite a few snakes depicted throughout the site. Appearing sometimes alone, sometimes in groups, and in at least one case, woven into a net-like motif.
Serpents depicted at Gobekli Tepe
The image on the right depicts what is believed to be a net formed by serpents
Human statue found near Gobekli Tepe
Near the site, a statue of a human was discovered which had a very curious feature. Carved on it is a snake moving up the back of the head from the spine toward the forehead.
Snakes have been symbols of healing, consciousness, wisdom and awakening throughout human history. You can see these ideas prominently in Egyptian symbology. Think of a Pharaoh and you probably picture a figure with a headdress that features a cobra coiled up between their eyes. The serpent representing wisdom moving toward, or already at , the “third eye” - a common symbolic representation of consciousness and enlightenment. Kundalini symbolism pictures a snake coiled at the base of the spine, rising up through the chakras towards the crown of the head. Some have suggested the statue at Gobekli Tepe symbolizes the awakening of human consciousness in a similar fashion. Who knows?
Pharaoh Rameses II with serpent coiled between his eyes
Snakes have also been associated with the sign of Scorpio throughout the lifetime of Astrology. And in case you are thinking, “No, it’s a Scorpion you idiot!” You are also correct. Scorpio is unique in the Zodiac in that it has used multiple symbols concurrently over the life of Astrology - the scorpion, the serpent, and the eagle. And, as it turns out, scorpions are also depicted at Gobekli Tepe.
Scorpion and other symbolic figures carved at Gobekli Tepe on what is called “The Vulture Stone”
On what researches call “The Vulture Stone”, you can also see some interesting figures above a clearly depicted scorpion, carvings that clearly indicate the symbolic nature these people were communicating rather than purely naturalistic ideas. You see a bird - thought to be a vulture - holding a disc above its wing. This isn’t very birdlike. The disc is probably the Sun based on the wealth of solar representations found around the world at ancient sites. Some have suggested the vulture itself is in reference to the constellation Cygnus, typically depicted as a swan, but also a vulture depending on the culture and the animals they were familiar with. Interesting if true, but even if that linkage can’t be proven definitively, it is clear that more than nature is being represented by these ancient humans. If you look below the scorpion to the right of the bird’s head, you also see a headless human with a giant boner. There are many such depictions throughout the site lending further to the symbolism-over-naturalism debate.
There is so much to say about Gobekli Tepe, and I encourage you to go check it out further. The point is, our ancestors living during the last Ice Age were constructing highly engineered structures adorned with symbols that blatantly point to some type of astrological symbolism having already been established and in use.
So, is Astrology something established in the Middle Ages, or even the Bronze Age? It doesn’t seem like the evidence available suggests that to be the case. Actually, it seems that this observation and projection of the human experience onto the night sky, employing symbology and myth to describe it has been with us for tens of millennia, at the very least.
From its ancient roots, Astrology has been developed and evolved by various civilizations, societies and cultures throughout the ages. Systems and ideas that then were promulgated through trade, exploration and conquest, only to be adopted and adapted into their cultural and societal contexts. Our current system has its origins in Sumerian inventions that formalized many astrological concepts. By 5000 BCE, charts, very much like modern charts, were being used to predict fortunate times for war, planting, harvesting, the best time for an heir to be born, and other matters of state and empire. Sumerian astrological systems and ideas would develop and be carried throughout the Middle East for another two and a half millennia, growing and developing along the way.
At the same time Sumerian civilization was doing its thing with Astrology, developments were also happening in Egypt. There is evidence of the observation, prediction and symbology we would label as astrological going all the way back to Egyptian prehistory. By sometime around 2100 BCE, the Egyptians had figured out and systematized some highly complex math, particularly around the Sun. This isn’t a surprise as their highest god was symbolized as the Sun and they were entirely obsessed with studying it. What they figured out was the math needed to divide each of the twelve signs into decans. These are still with us today in Astrology. Think of a slice of pizza. That slice represented one of the signs of the Zodiac. Now, divide that slice up into three equal slices. Each one of those sub-slices represents a decan. Three ten-degree sections in each 30-degree sign. They figured that out and measured it accurately 4000 years ago!
The Egyptians also discovered a pattern that is also still a part of modern Astrology. Through generations and generations of observation and the refinement of advanced mathematical ideas, they accurately calculated a perceived movement of the Sun. As they studied the heavens, they began to notice that the Sun appeared to be taking small steps backwards on the horizon over a period of time (remember, the Sun is not moving, we are; it just looks like it is moving from our observational platform of Earth). They calculated this movement to one degree every 72 years. When you factor in the 30 degree slice of pizza that is each sign, that equals 2160 years for the Sun to “move” backwards through each sign. It’s known as “the Precession of the Zodiac”. If you have every found yourself singing the words to “Age of Aquarius”, that song owes its very existence to this discovery by Egyptians living thousands and thousands of years ago.
Click Here To Read About How Astrology Is All Over and Through the Bible. You’ll also learn more about the concept of Astrological Ages.
An Age is defined by the sign the Sun rises in on the Spring Equinox. Our charts are aligned to the Babylonian system inherited by the Greeks (more on that in a minute). At that time, the Sun rose in Aries on the equinox, it was the Age of Aries, and thus, the first sign in our system is Aries. That changed in the late 1st century BCE as that perceived movement of the Sun backwards reached the cusp of Pisces and a new age began. Today, we are at the very tail end of the Age of Pisces and heading towards Aquarius. Remember, this is a pre-cession and not a pro-cession. Each new age is defined by entering the sign before the one that is ending. All of these discoveries led to amazing advancements in technology, engineering, architecture and the like as mathematical and observational skills increased and grew, being applied to other fields of study. However, all of these areas were infused deeply with astrological ideas, concepts and symbology. Ideas that were then spread to other human civilizations and cultures to be developed in those contexts.
As knowledge, concepts and practices spread, major developments would occur in Babylon throughout the existence of their culture. Then, in the 4th century BCE, Alexander the Great set about conquering the known world, obsessively collecting knowledge, technology, and all manner of advancements. He brought back astrological concepts and understanding from all over the Middle East, India, and Egypt, adding them to the Babylonian system they had inherited. The result is the Western system we use today. Our word Zodiac comes from the Greek zodiakos which means “circle of little animals.” Horoscope is a combination of hora (hour) + skopos (watcher; that which is watched) in Greek. The word Astrology itself is derived from astron (star) + logos (word; discourse). Ours is essentially the Greek system. However, as old as it is, it is itself the beneficiary of thousands (probably tens of thousands) of years of observation, development, integration and refinement before Greece was even a thing.
Astrological ideas are pervasive throughout the human experience and the way we view and describe it. Ever been called “jovial?” We use that word to indicate generosity, optimism, fun and gregariousness. These ideas are represented by the planet Jupiter in Astrology. The Latin word for Jupiter is jove, and thus, we say jovial. Capricious (Capricorn), mercurial (Mercury), dismal (“bad days” indicated by astrological positions), influenza (Italian for “flows into” as they thought bad juju from the stars were coming in and causing it). I could go on and on. Astrological thinking has defined so much of how we communicate through symbolism, even after we move beyond the literal ideas they are conveying.
Think about the days of the week. There are seven because of Astrology. Seven days representing the seven “planets” visible with the naked eye. Actually, the Sun, Moon, and the five classical planets.
Monday - The Moon
Tuesday - Named for the Norse equivalent of Mars known as Tiwaz - thus Tuesday; Spanish - Martes (Mars)
Wednesday - Named for the Norse equivalent of Mercury known as Wod’n - thus Wednesday; Ever wonder what that confusing “n” was doing in there? Makes sense when you consider it was Wodn’s Day originally; Spanish - Miercoles (Mercury)
Thursday - Named for the Norse equivalent of Jupiter known as Thor - thus Thursday; Spanish - Jueves (from jove, Latin for Jupiter)
Friday - Named for the Norse equivalent of Venus known as Freya (or Frig) - thus Friday; Spanish - Viernes (Venus)
Saturday - Saturn
Sunday - The Sun
So even the way we plan our weeks has its roots firmly in a perception of the world defined by astrological thinking. Thinking that was apparently already present in some form at the very outset of the beginning of civilization.
Astrology didn’t just pop up or appear from some vacuum, it is the result of our conscious engagement with the subconscious world, and our attempts at explaining all the confusing emotions, thoughts, mysteries, and experiences that come along with that. It was the “science” by which we tried to understand, categorize, and explain the experience of humans on Earth. It is all around you, represented in the words we use, the days we plan, and the stories we create. To a certain degree, the baseline of the human experience has been defined by Astrology, whether we actually believe in it or not.
Shouldn’t we at least seek to understand it then?!
Heretically Yours 😈
