Astrology History

According to historical research, astrology was being practiced as early as 3000 BC. The people during this time believe that the terrestrial events are influenced by the movements and positions of the celestial bodies. Because of this belief, astrology became a basis of prediction and decisions.

There are three major types of astrology - the Western astrology, the Jyotish or Indian astrology and the East Asian or Chinese astrology. It was believed that the practices in astrology came from the ancient Babylonians as they study the heavenly bodies. This belief spread to the Assyrians and then to the Middle East, India and Greece. Astrology was developed in these countries through the incorporation of local practices. The Babylonian astrology was influenced by the decanic astrology from the Egyptian tradition as it was being spread in Greece. This was the beginning of the horoscopic astrology. This belief continued to spread to the Middle East, India and Europe.

The study of astrology has influenced the scientific and mathematical study of the celestial studies. It was the astrologers who were first able to observe, document and predict the movements of the planets and the positions of the stars. In the early practice of astrology, it wasn't differentiated from astronomy especially in medieval Europe and ancient Babylonia. The two studies were differentiated only in the 11th century through the definition of the astronomer Abu Rayhan al-Biruni from Persia. From that time, astrology and astronomy were developed through the studies of prominent scientists including Pythagoras, Copernicus and Galileo.