Astro*Dictionary
by Michael Erlewine
3 articles for
"Babylon"
Ancient city in the Euphrates valley, close to the modern city of Bagdad. After 2250 BC, it became the capital of Babylonia. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Tower of Babel was built in the city of Babylon; it may have been constructed as an astronomical observatory, and may have housed astrologers and their libraries. During the period 2100-1900 BC, a large astrological work called "The Illumination of Bel" was written.
See also:
♦ Egyptian Astrology ♦ Vernal Point ♦ Sidereal Zodiac ♦ Exaltation ♦ SVP ♦ Horoscope ♦ Horakti Calendar ♦ Babylonian
Babylon [Astro*Index]
Ancient city in the Euphrates valley, close to the modern city of Bagdad. After 2250 BC, it became the capital of Babylonia. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Tower of Babel was built in the city of Babylon; it may have been constructed as an astronomical observatory, and may have housed astrologers and their libraries. During the period 2100-1900 BC, a large astrological work called "The Illumination of Bel" was written. The Babylonian story of a massive deluge finds a close parallel with that given by Hebrews in the Old Testament, with the ark coming to rest on Mt. Nisir (Mount of Refuge) as opposed to Mt. Ararat in the Hebrew account. According to noted Jewish historian Abba Eban, the Old Testament, together with many commentaries, was written while the Jews were in captivity at Babylon around 600 BC. Although long regarded as the country in which astrology first developed, modern research indicates that Egyptian Astrology preceded the earliest Babylonian efforts. The solar and lunar tables of the Babylonian astronomers Naburiannu and Kidinnu were sent to Aristotle by his nephew, Callisthenes, when Alexander the Great captured Babylon in 331 BC. This event had a profound effect on Greek astronomy and astrology. In the tables of Naburiannu (500 BC), the vernal point was placed at 10° Aries; in the tables of Kidinnu (373 BC), it was placed at 8° Aries. Thus it is clear that the Babylonian zodiac in use as early as 500 BC was the same as the ancient Egyptian zodiac, which is the same as the Western sidereal zodiac. The Persian armies of Xerxes defeated Babylon in 539 AD. See also: - Exaltation - SVP - Horoscope of Eternity - Horakti Calendar - Babylonian Astrology
See also:
♦ Egyptian Astrology ♦ Vernal Point ♦ Sidereal Zodiac ♦ Exaltation ♦ SVP ♦ Horoscope ♦ Horakti Calendar ♦ Babylonian
Babylon [DeVore]
An ancient Semitic city in the Euphrates valley, which after 2250 B.C., as the capital of Babylonia, became a center of world commerce and of the arts and sciences, its life marked by luxury and magnificence. The city in which they built the Tower of Babel, its location coincides approximately with that of the modern city of Baghdad — now the center of a vast agricultural community. The Babylonians attached great importance to the motions of the planets, accurately fixed their orbits and worked out tables of the phases of the Moon, whereby eclipses could be correctly predicted. Their great astrological work, "The Illumination of Bel," was compiled within the period of 2100-1900 B.C. From fragments of the tablets of another astrological work which has been preserved, it is found that their calendar began with March 21; and its twelve divisions, and their names, give evidence of astrological significance. Their story of the deluge closely parallels that of the Bible, and the location of their Mount Nisir (Mount of Refuge) is seemingly that of Mt. Ararat, where the ark stranded. Their Hanging Gardens were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. From what remains of their literature, it appears that with the rise of astrology there arose a wave of fatalism which, however, later gave way to a doctrine of self-determination — the belief that the stars impel but do not compel. Babylon is generally conceded to have been the cradle of astrology. It was overthrown in 539 A.D., by Xerxes, the Persian.
See also:
♦ Egyptian Astrology ♦ Vernal Point ♦ Sidereal Zodiac ♦ Exaltation ♦ SVP ♦ Horoscope ♦ Horakti Calendar ♦ Babylonian
Astro*Index Copyright © 1997 Michael Erlewine
[ TOP ]