The Basics
Astrology, which most of you probably know about through one of it parts, horoscopes, is similar to a nature religion. In all practicality, it is astronomy mixed with a religious understanding of the cosmos, but based on exact scientific calculations. It views that all the events in the universe are connected by an invisible magic bond, which affects our lives on a daily basis.
Horoscopes, part of astrology, are what you usually read about, especially your sun sign. For example, I’m a Pisces! Horoscopes are just a way to channel the information you can collect with astronomy, to make a forecast of your future. If you are into astrology and want to find your full chart, this website is very good.
Astrology originated in Mesopotamia, and is guessed to have started around 2500 B.C.. It spread throughout Europe from the Chaldeans and Babylonians, and because of that, when it reached Rome from Greece, it became known as Babylonian astrology.
Roman Astrology
When the Romans started developing astrology, their names and ideas stuck. The zodiac signs still have their Roman names today, including the gods attached to them. The Roman empire helped astrology spread even farther throughout the entire Mediterranean region. The name “zodiac” originally came from the Greek word, “ζῳδιακός κύκλος” or zōidiakòs kýklos. It means circle/cycle of little animals. Romans changed the greek word to “zōdiacus”, which is how we have zodiac present day. In Roman civilization, astrology was originally reserved for kings and the king´s circle. Over time, after several bannings of astrology by emperors, it became available to everyone. Many well-known poets in Roman history such as Virgil, Ovid, and Horace were also astrologers.
Astronomica
Astronomica was a huge poem written by a poet named Marcus Manilius, and is the main reason we know Romans used astrology. It was five books long, each with 800-900 verses. He wrote about every piece of astrology you would want to know, and is still available to read if you are willing to spend some money.
My Project
For my project, I decided to do a classic zodiac wheel with 12 sections, with all the signs. I wrote information about every sign. I hand drew and painted it, but had a lot of fun doing it. for the info on the back, go here.
