Article Written By EIH Subject Matter Expert
Dr. Sonika Sandhu
As the summer abates and we await the monsoon, the Northern Hemisphere will have its Summer Solstice with many looking forward to it for its significance while some already scanning the newspapers and astrology columns. Looking for answers in the heavens above, through signs and prediction is a science on its own. There is a long history of man looking at the stars to plan lives. Farmers have used the skies as calendar since time immemorial. Ancient Egyptians used the rising Sirius , the dog star as an indication of the imminent flooding of the Nile, travellers over centuries have been guided by stars. In ancient China, eclipses and sunspots were used as potent indicators of good and bad times for the emperor. Sumerians and Babylonians studied the stars too, this has conclusively proven by the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa. This tablet is dated to the first millennium BC and tracks the movement of Venus, this is one of earliest pieces of Babylonian planetary omens. The ancient Egyptians identified constellations through which sun appears to move through specific times during the year. This gave rise to the idea of zodiacs.
Ancient Egyptians used the rising Sirius , the dog star as an indication of the imminent flooding of the Nile.
Astronomical observations began in the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Egypt and India. In Mesopotamia prominent patterns of stars or constellations were recognized and named as early as 3000 BCE. The sky watchers of Mesopotamia identified the five wandering stars, which with the sun and moon form the seven original ‘planets’. Within Mesopotamia the Babylonians, flourishing from the 18th century BCE, are the first great astronomers. The minutes and seconds of modern astronomical measurement are derived from their number system. And it is the Babylonians who introduced the useful concept of the zodiac. The Babylonians realize that the zodiac – the sequence of constellations along which the sun and the planets appear to move in their passage through the heavens and can serve as a yardstick of celestial time if divided into recognizable and equal segments. They selected twelve constellations to represent these segments, many of them identified by the names of animals. The zodiac links constellations with times of the year; and the constellations have their own links with the gods. So scientific observation of star positions merges with speculation about divine influence. The zodiac, as a concept, is thus of use to both astronomers and astrologers.
Sumerians and Babylonians studied the stars too, this has conclusively proven by the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa. This tablet is dated to the first millennium BC and tracks the movement of Venus. Picture Courtesy : Wikipedia Commons
The Greeks from 6th century BCE made significant advances in both astronomy and astrology. They had an analytical approach and developed early insights into various heavenly phenomenon and events. They even provided the term for the zodiac, which was described as an animal circle zodiakos kyklos. It was also during the ancient Greeks period that the 12 star signs were proposed which most people identify today. These signs were named after constellations and matched the dates based on the relationship between their position and that of the Sun. the Babylonians had already divided the zodiac into 12 equal signs by 1500 BCE. These were later incorporated into Greek divination. The astronomer Ptolemy, author of Tetrabiblos ,which became a core book in the history of Western astrology, helped popularize these 12 signs. According to him there were 12 signs along the zodiac that were 30° wide, and that the sun moved through these signs regularly during the year, this was codified by Ptolemy.
India in the meanwhile had its unique system of astrology from 1000 BCE. At this time we can see some Greek influence and a version of the zodiac also introduced. The same pattern recurs elsewhere at other periods of history. The spread of Arabic scholarship, bringing forgotten Greek texts to medieval Europe, results in much work for the astrologers – until the age of science and the age of reason somewhat reduce the appeal of the ancient art.
Today astrology is thriving again in the 20th century. In countries like Indian and the far east it has never lost its appeal. From marriages to financial investments to buying houses astrology plays an important role, none of these steps are taken without consulting the stars.
Even NASA has given an explanation of the constellations and how zodiacs were created: Imagine a straight line drawn from Earth through the Sun and out into space way beyond our solar system where the stars are. Then, picture Earth following its orbit around the Sun. This imaginary line would rotate, pointing to different stars throughout one complete trip around the Sun — or, one year. All the stars that lie close to the imaginary flat disk swept out by this imaginary line are said to be in the zodiac. The constellations in the zodiac are simply the constellations that this imaginary straight line points to in its year-long journey.
ZODIAC OF THE SUMMER SOLISTICE: GEMINI
The word ‘Gemini’ is derived from a Latin word for Twins, it is one of the constellations which actually look like how its name suggests. The first recorded reference to this constellation is in Aristotle’s Meteorologica. In the book he mentions observing Jupiter in conjunction with it. In Babylonian astronomy, these stars were known as the great twins and regarded as minor gods – Meshlamtaea (The One who has arisen from the Underworld) and Lugalirra (The Mighty King). The constellation is positioned between Taurus at the west and Cancer in the east. The constellation is made up of two twins; Castor and Pollux. According to Greek mythology, Castor was the moral son of King Tyndarus, while Pollux was the immoral son of Zeus. Both Castor and Pollux, being identical twins, were inseparable in their looks and actions. Castor was great horseman and Pollux was a great fighter. Together, they went with Jason on the Argo and saved the ship from a terrible storm. When Castor was killed in battle, Pollux pleaded with Zeus to bring him back. Zeus agreed to immortalize both Castor and Pollux, if they spend half of their time on the Earth and the other half amongst the stars in the heavens. Since then, when sailors saw these two stars together, they knew their journey would be prosperous. However, seeing only one star foretold bad luck. This constellation is also special as the twins from Greek mythology were not represented only by the constellation, but by actual stars which mark the twin’s heads in it. Also the twins Pollux is the brightest star in this constellation, and Castor is the second brightest.
In Babylonian astronomy, these stars were known as the great twins and regarded as minor gods – Meshlamtaea (The One who has arisen from the Underworld) and Lugalirra (The Mighty King).
