I find the long history of Astrology to be fascinating, particularly since we have only learned about it since the 1980s. For those who might also be interested, I have included this section as part of my web page. Credit goes to Chris Brennan for his study of these matters allowing me to create an even more concise history than his. A true historian might take exception to some of the broad strokes which I've employed to enable brevity.
Astrology and its History in the West
Astrology has existed ever since mankind looked up into the heavens and began noticing that there were correspondences between certain planetary alignments and happenings here on Earth.
This method of observation and interpretation of celestial phenomena has a long history going back at least 4000 years but there had been a decline in its use in European countries between the 17th and 19th centuries. Indeed, the decline was so steep that by the 19th century it was difficult to believe that Astrology had ever been a vibrant part of everyday life and had previously been accepted within society and within academic circles as a legitimate area of study. During this period, any Astrology that was practised was considerably diminished and much was lost.
It was not until the late 19th century, when the Spiritualism movement had come on the scene, that we can note a turning point in the history of Astrology. Spiritualism has an interesting and long history of its own. Suffice it to say that this movement can be seen as a precursor to the New Age Movement of the 1960s. All through this time there was a resurgence of interest in esoteric and occult subjects including Astrology. By the 1930s, one began to see more and more professional Astrologers emerging and novelty and innovation was encouraged including the usage of the newly discovered planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) and asteroids. People were interested in Astrology again but it was not until the 1980s and 1990s that some people developed an interest in looking at the older traditions.
Before the last 2 decades of the last millennium, the history of Astrology was largely unknown. Luckily, certain Astrologers took it upon themselves to learn ancient languages and translate ancient texts and thus we have the following information (in an extremely attenuated form).
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Mesopotamian Astrology
2000 BCE to 100 BCE
Babylonian and Egyptian Astrology developed side by side, completely independently of each other. As the centuries went by, the information being gathered by each culture became greater and greater by volume and required categorisation.
There is a great deal of evidence of the sophistication that was reached.
Examples are the cuneiform tablet on the left showing the Ritual for the Observances of Eclipses in Babylonian Mesopotamia c.3rd to 1st century BCE.
An example of the Egyptian records is on the right. It is the Astronomical Ceiling in the Tomb of Senenmut c.1479-1458 BCE.
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In 335 BCE, Alexander the Great began his conquests and created a huge empire stretching from Greece to northwestern India. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt came under Greek rule and the Greek language became the common language. There was an extensive exchange of information in all areas of life and in terms of Astrology there was a synthesis between the Mesopotamian and the Egyptian Astrological traditions between 300 and 200 BCE. In a brief and wonderfully creative time span a new system of Astrology had been created by 100 BCE and was termed Hellenistic Astrology.
The usage of Hellenistic Astrology persisted through the following domination of the Roman Empire.
This period is rich with texts in Ancient Greek and Latin. In addition, because of trade contacts between the Roman Empire and India and Persia, there are also Sanskrit and Persian Astrological texts that are of interest to modern Astrologers. A veritable treasure trove of ancient texts exists.
Hellenistic Astrology
100 BCE-650 CE
Medieval Astrology
750 CE to 1300 CE
After the Fall of the Roman Empire, Astrology in Europe declined in usage until the 12th century. One important reason for this was increasing hostility from the Christian Church.
During this period the Islamic Empire was flourishing and in Early Medieval times, Islamic rulers were open to Astrology. Greek, Persian and Sanskrit texts were gathered and translated into the predominant language of Arabic. This enabled even more synthesis of ideas.
In later Medieval times, when Europeans regained control over areas previously ruled by the Islamic Empire they found huge libraries of knowledge and a translation movement ensued, making texts available in Latin. The translation of Arabic Astrological texts led to a 12th century revival of Astrology in Europe. Astrology became a major part of university study and was used in the medicine of the time.
Renaissance Astrology
1400 to 1700 CE
Astrology flourished during the Renaissance. Its importance can be inferred since some of the first books published after the printing press was invented were Astrology texts in the 15th and 16th centuries.
At this point, Latin was the language of the day. The only exception to this was in England where William Lilly published "Christian Astrology" in English in 1647. It was the first Astrology book ever published in English just before the decline of interest in Astrology until the current resurgence which I started with
Chris Brennan is the author of "Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune" and the host of The Astrology Podcast. Although I had some knowledge about the history of Astrology, Chris' recording of his talk, "The History of Western Astrology in 90 minutes" gave me a helpful linear map. No aspersions on Chris if I have in any way made errors in my understanding.