Zodiac Signs

History of the zodiac signs and astrology

Origin

Babylon (Mesopotamia). Horoscopic astrology, based on the moment of birth, developed in Hellenistic Egypt, in Alexandria.

When

The twelve equal signs took shape in the 5th century BC; the oldest known personal horoscopes date from 410 BC.

In the Ottoman world

The office of chief court astrologer (müneccimbaşı) lasted from the reign of Bayezid II until 1924.

Newspaper horoscopes

Britain's first regular newspaper astrology column began in the Sunday Express in 1930; the 12-sign format arrived in 1937.

The zodiac signs originate in Babylon. Babylonian astronomers observed and recorded the sky over centuries; the zodiac, which divides the Sun's yearly path into twelve equal 30-degree sections, took shape in the 5th century BC. The oldest known personal horoscopes were written in 410 BC in Babylon and Nippur.

Horoscopic astrology, based on the sign rising at the moment of birth (Greek hōroskopos, “hour marker”) and on twelve houses, developed in Hellenistic Egypt, around Alexandria, in the 2nd or 1st century BC. Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos, written in the 2nd century, was translated into Arabic in the 9th century and became the most influential source of medieval Islamic astrology; the works of Abu Ma'shar (787–886), born in Balkh, were translated into Latin in the 12th century and reached Europe.

At the Ottoman court, the office of chief astrologer (müneccimbaşı) emerged in the reign of Bayezid II (1481–1512). The müneccimbaşı prepared the calendar and calculated the right hour for events such as accessions to the throne, military campaigns, weddings and ship launches; the office ended in 1924 with the death of the last müneccimbaşı. Britain's first regular newspaper astrology column began in the Sunday Express in 1930 with R. H. Naylor; in 1937 Naylor developed the format written for the 12 sun signs that is familiar today.

Where do the zodiac signs come from?

The zodiac signs arose in Babylon; the zodiac with twelve equal signs took shape in the 5th century BC. Horoscopic astrology, based on the moment of birth, developed in Hellenistic Egypt.

When was the first horoscope written?

The oldest known personal horoscopes date from 410 BC. Britain's first regular newspaper astrology column began in 1930; the format written for the 12 signs arrived in 1937.

This section describes the cultural history of the practice; no fortune-telling method foretells the future. Origins of all types of fortune telling →