Astrology · Guide
A history of the horoscope: from sky record to mass reading
Trace the history of the horoscope from early records to modern uses. See how the questions asked of a chart changed and choose a historical period.
Editorial illustration.
One word with several uses
Today “horoscope” can mean a chart for a particular birth or a short reading for everyone with a given Sun sign. These formats use different information. A historical account should first establish which one it is tracing.
Three questions for each period
Who calculates the chart? Who receives the reading? What source survives? These questions allow comparison of a cuneiform record, manuscript treatise and printed column without presenting them as an unchanged practice.
Where to continue
For origins, examine Babylonian sources; for the development of methods, Hellenistic authors; for transmission, medieval translations. Modern formats also require attention to publishing. Each part needs its own evidence.
Astrology · Guide
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Astrology beyond Europe: print, almanacs and audiences
Astrology in almanacs and printed publications.The Babylonian roots of the horoscope
The Babylonian roots of the horoscope, from celestial omens to birth records.Medieval astrology: translations, tables and schools
Medieval astrology and the movement of texts through Arabic, Persian, Greek and Latin settings.