In episode 490, Professor M. Willis Monroe joins the podcast to discuss the history of astrology in ancient Mesopotamia.
Willis is a historian of the ancient Near East and a cuneiform scholar, focusing on first-millennium Mesopotamian science and scholarship, and his doctoral dissertation on the use of zodiacal divisions in cuneiform sources.
During the episode, we provide an overview of the origins of western astrology in ancient Mesopotamia, starting with the earliest surviving sources around 2000 BCE, and continuing until the disappearance of cuneiform in the 1st century BCE.
We discuss the earliest evidence of astrology in eclipse signs in the 2nd millennium BC, the peak of state-sponsored astrology under the Neo-Assyrian kings in the 7th century BC, and finally the development of zodiac and natal astrology in the 5th century BC.
This episode is available in audio and video versions below.
Time signs
00:00:00 Login
00:01:22 Ancient languages: Akkadian, Sumerian and Cuneiform
00:02:49 Origin of writing in Mesopotamia
00:07:28 How urbanization led to specialized roles such as fortune tellers
00:10:02 Polytheism and the role of the gods of certain cities
00:12:46 Concept of God’s “House” (Temple)
00:17:48 The emergence of divination in Mesopotamian culture
00:20:01 Earliest Evidence: Gudea’s Dream and Divination (2100 BC)
00:22:38 Three forms of divination: astrology, dreams and guts
00:28:43 Omen series format: “If P, Q”
00:32:08 Early significance of eclipses and rituals to prevent symptoms
00:35:25 How astrology inspired the development of astronomy
00:40:46 Enuma Anu Enlil: Canonical Collection of Omens
00:42:42 There is no difference between astronomy and astrology
00:50:52 High point of state-sponsored astrology (7th century BC)
00:54:38 Astrologers reporting to the king and scientific disagreements
01:12:37 Late Period: Evolution of Natal Astrology (Birth Charts)
01:20:23 Astronomical Diaries: Diaries of Heaven and Earth
01:28:02 Year of Purpose Texts and Long Term Planetary Cycles
01:32:04 Standardization of 12 zodiac signs
01:40:51 Primary qualities of characters (body parts, gender)
01:46:40 Hypsomata originated in Mesopotamia
01:50:31 First depictions of Zodiac signs on clay tablets
02:02:49 Cross-pollination of Hellenistic period and astrology
02:08:32 end of cuneiform tradition and loss of knowledge
02:20:01 Creation myth of Babylon (Enuma Elish)
02:30:20 Adapa: The legendary sage who revealed astrology
02:37:05 Lineage and individual authorship
02:42:31 Regional differences in the practice of astrology (Babylon and Uruk)
02:57:33 Willis’ current research projects
03:06:23 Summary
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Transcription
Here is the full transcript of this episode: Episode 490 Transcript
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