Etymology

Marcantonio Raimondi engraving, 15th century

The word astrology comes from the early Latin word astrologia,[10] deriving from the ree! noun
"#$%&%'(), *account of the stars*+ ,strologia later -assed into meaning *star.divination* with
astronomia used for the scientific term+[11]
/istory
Main article0 /istory of astrology
Many cultures have attached im-ortance to astronomical events, and the 1ndians, 2hinese, and
Mayans develo-ed ela3orate systems for -redicting terrestrial events from celestial o3servations+
1n the 4est, astrology most often consists of a system of horosco-es -ur-orting to e5-lain
as-ects of a -erson*s -ersonality and -redict future events in their life 3ased on the -ositions of
the sun, moon, and other celestial o36ects at the time of their 3irth+ The ma6ority of -rofessional
astrologers rely on such systems+[7]087
,strology has 3een dated to at least the 9nd millennium :2E, with roots in calendrical systems
used to -redict seasonal shifts and to inter-ret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications+
[;] , form of astrology was -ractised in the first dynasty of Meso-otamia <1;50=1>51 :2E?+
2hinese astrology was ela3orated in the @hou dynasty <10A>=95> :2E?+ /ellenistic astrology
after 779 :2E mi5ed :a3ylonian astrology with Egy-tian Becanic astrology in ,le5andria,
creating horosco-ic astrology+ ,le5ander the reat*s conCuest of ,sia allowed astrology to s-read
to ,ncient reece and Rome+ 1n Rome, astrology was associated with *2haldean wisdom*+ ,fter
the conCuest of ,le5andria in the Dth century, astrology was ta!en u- 3y 1slamic scholars, and
/ellenistic te5ts were translated into ,ra3ic and Eersian+ 1n the 19th century, ,ra3ic te5ts were
im-orted to Euro-e and translated into Latin, hel-ing to initiate the Euro-ean Renaissance, when
ma6or astronomers including Tycho :rahe, Fohannes Ge-ler and alileo -ractised as court
astrologers+ ,strological references a--ear in literature in the wor!s of -oets such as Bante
,lighieri and eoffrey 2haucer, and of -laywrights such as 2hristo-her Marlowe and 4illiam
Hha!es-eare+
Throughout most of its history, astrology was considered a scholarly tradition+ 1t was acce-ted in
-olitical and academic conte5ts, and was connected with other studies, such as astronomy,
alchemy, meteorology, and medicine+[A] ,t the end of the 1Dth century, new scientific conce-ts in
astronomy and -hysics <such as heliocentrism and Iewtonian mechanics? called astrology into
Cuestion+ ,strology thus lost its academic and theoretical standing, and common 3elief in
astrology has largely declined+[5]