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Document Details : Title: More on the Transmission of the Babylonian Zodiac to Greece Subtitle: The Case of the Nativity Omens and their Modern Legacy Author(s): CAMPION, Nicholas Journal: ARAM Periodical Volume: 24 Date: 2012 Pages: 193-201 DOI: 10.2143/ARAM.24.0.3009274 Abstract : This paper will consider evidence for the transmission of the Babylonian zodiac to Greece. The so-called ‘Nativity Omens’, dating to the early fifth century, describe a zodiac which, represented through zodiacal relationships with the planets, possesses personality and meaning in much the same manner as the Greek zodiac portrayed in texts such as Claudius Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos in the 2nd c. CE, and the visual concept of the zodiac as a living image. This paper will argue that what is normally considered a feature of Greek cosmology should now be seen as Babylonian, and is significant for our understanding of the late Babylonian conception of the zodiac. Continuity between Babylonian and modern astrology is also discussed. |
