the 4th century BCE and, through the studies of Plato, Aristotle, and
others, astrology came to be highly regarded as a science. It was soon
embraced by the Romans (the Roman names for the zodiacal signs are
still used today) and the Arabs and later spread throughout the entire
world.
While original astrology was used to bring a sense of order out of
apparent chaos, it was soon employed to predict weather patterns,
primarily for agricultural purposes. It was eventually widened to
include forecasts of natural disasters, war and other events in the
affecting the human condition. Once success in these fields was
established, it was a natural evolution for astrology to be used as a
means for advising for kings and emperors and, in time, the population
at large.
The zodiac (which is derived from the Greek word meaning circle of
animals) is believed to have developed in ancient Egypt and later
adopted by the Babylonians. Ahead of schedule astrologers knew it took
twelve lunar cycles (i.e., months) for the sun to return to its
original spot. They then identified twelve constellations that they
observed were linked to the progression of the seasons and assigned
them names of certain animals and persons (in Babylonia, for example,
the drizzling season was found to occur when the sun was in a
particular constellation which was then named Aquarius, or water
bearer).
Around the year 2000 BCE, Babylonian astrologers believed that the
sun, moon, and the five planets known at that time (Jupiter, Mars,
Mercury, Saturn, and Venus) possessed distinct powers. Mars, for
example, appeared to be red and was associated with aggression and
war.
Source: wd-gann.com
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