Mesopotamian astrology

Abstract

AbstractDivination in the Ancient Near East took many forms. One of the most important practices, however, was astrology—the art of observing the sky and weather for signs. The first written evidence for this began in the late third millennium BCE, but it probably existed even earlier. Throughout the early and middle centuries of the second millennium BCE, there are glimpses of astrology preserved in letters and other texts. It was not until the end of the second millennium that the practice began to be codified and written down in standard works. During the Neo‐Assyrian period (911–609 BCE) astrology gained a new level of importance in the royal court with scholars (employed by the court) constantly watching the sky and writing to the king. Finally, during the latter half of the first millennium BCE (the Neo‐Babylonian, Achaemenid, and Hellenistic periods), astrology underwent a period of innovation alongside the continued use of standard practices. Throughout its history, Mesopotamian astrology functioned together with other forms of divination. The examination of an animal's liver, for example, was often used to check the results of an astrological observation. Astrology was one of many ways the messages of the gods could be decoded in the Ancient Near East. It developed a complicated series of texts and skilled practitioners and had a great impact on the fate of its adherents.