Ancient cultures and astrology Flashcards
Explain the origins of Babylonian Astrology
Origins can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia.
Babylonians used horoscopic astrology.
Their astrology was linked to the worship of gods and was used for divination and predicting natural events.
Explain Egyptian Astrology:
They too used horoscopic astrology like that of the Babylonians.
This required computing the zodiacal positions of the Moon, the Sun and the 5 planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn)
Egyptian astrology assigns certain days of the month to each sign. They named their Zodiac signs after their gods.
Explain Greek Astrology:
Astrology was introduced to them through contact with the Egyptians and Babylonians.
According to them the heavens are divided into 12 constellations of the zodiac, and the bright stars that rise at intervals cast a spiritual influence over human affairs. They believed that the Earth was the centre of the Universe.
What did Plato stand for?
- Be your own captain
- Use your brain
- Be responsible
He believed that it was better to use your own brain and make your own choices in life, rather than relying on the stars to tell you what to do. He believed in being responsible for your own destiny.
What does Aristotle stand for?
It is okay to think about how the stars affect the natural world, like weather, but he didn’t think they could tell us everything about our personal lives. He believed in using our senses and studying nature to understand the world better.
