Zodiac

The Zodiac is a group of thirteen star patterns called constellations that form an imaginary 360-degree band across the sky. This band corresponds to the ecliptic, the path the sun, moon, and planets appear to take across the sphere of the heavens. While evidence suggests early humans first recorded zodiac constellations in the prehistoric past, the Western concept of the zodiac originated in ancient Mesopotamia and was refined by the Greeks and Romans. Other cultures, such as the Mayans and Chinese, also developed their own zodiacs. The Mayans saw thirteen significant patterns in the sky, while the Chinese zodiac was based on a twelve-year cycle.

History

Researchers believe one of the earliest depictions of a constellation may have been left on the walls of a French cave about seventeen thousand years ago. Prehistoric drawings show the image of a bull with what may be a pattern of stars over its shoulder—a possible representation of the constellation Taurus. About four thousand to five thousand years ago, the cultures of ancient Mesopotamia began to record the images they saw in the night sky. The Babylonians, who ruled the region about the second millennium B.C.E., developed a significant astronomical tradition and kept detailed records of the movement of celestial bodies. They observed the path these objects traveled through the heavens and divided this path into twelve equal segments. The constellations found along this band were given great significance.

The Greeks built upon Babylonian astronomical tradition and created a list of forty-eight constellations, incorporating the twelve signs of the Babylonian zodiac. The word zodiacis derived from ancient Greek and means "circle of animals." The Greeks also assigned the names and representations of the zodiac constellations and passed their traditions on to the Romans. These names are still in use in the modern era.

Overview

In 1930, the International Astronomical Union standardized the constellations and decided on official boundaries in the night sky. While the Greeks had included twelve constellations in the ancient zodiac, modern astronomers determined that the path of the ecliptic crossed into a thirteenth constellation, Ophiuchus. The thirteen constellations of the Western zodiac are:

Aries the Ram—a constellation the Greeks saw as a ram's head, representing the mythological Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts.

Taurus the Bull—associated with the god Zeus who disguised himself as a bull to carry away a young woman he wished to marry.

Gemini the Twins—represent Castor and Pollux, twins born to the same mother but of different fathers, one divine and the other mortal.

Cancer the Crab—a giant crab sent by the goddess Hera to attack Hercules on one of his legendary tasks.

Leo the Lion—a great beast killed by Hercules as one of his tasks. After defeating the lion, Hercules wore its pelt as a trophy.

Virgo the Virgin—believed to represent Persephone, the daughter of the harvest goddess, Demeter. According to legend, Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld, and tricked into remaining with him for six months of the year. Her return to the earth signifies the start of spring.

Libra the Scales—a constellation that represents balance. The Romans saw it as the scales of justice.

Scorpius the Scorpion—associated with the mythical hunter Orion. Orion bragged that there was no animal on earth he could not defeat. To punish him for his arrogance, the gods sent a scorpion to kill him.

Sagittarius the Archer—believed to represent a centaur, a half-human, half-horse creature that is shooting an arrow at the neighboring constellation of Scorpius.

Capricornus the Sea Goat—most often associated with the half-goat, half-human god of nature, Pan. While trying to escape a monstrous beast, Pan jumped into the Nile River, but only the submerged part of his body changed into a fish.

Aquarius the Water Bearer—represents Ganymede, the cupbearer of the gods.

Pisces the Fish—a constellation seen as two fish tied together. It represents the goddess Aphrodite who tied herself to her son and jumped into a river, turning them into fish to escape a monster.

Ophiuchus—a large constellation associated with Asclepius, the serpent-bearing god of medicine. The snake-covered staff of Asclepius is still used as a symbol of modern medicine.

The pseudoscience of astrology, which sees the movement of heavenly bodies as affecting human destiny, used the original twelve signs of the zodiac to create horoscopes, star charts that supposedly foretell the future. In 2011, many astrologers added Ophiuchus as the thirteenth sign and reconfigured the astrological calendar.

Like the Babylonians and Greeks, the Chinese also had a long astronomical tradition going back thousands of years. The Chinese concept of tracking time differed from the Western world, and this is reflected in the signs of the Chinese zodiac. The exact origin of the zodiac is unknown, although legend dates it to about 2600 B.C.E. The ancient Chinese saw time as cyclical, with twelve-year patterns repeating themselves five times over a sixty-year cycle. Part of the reason for this is that Chinese astronomers used the twelve-year orbit of the planet Jupiter through the ecliptic as a guide. The twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac each represent a year in the twelve-year cycle.

There are several myths about how the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac were chosen. One tale says a legendary deity-king known as the Jade Emperor asked all the animals to visit him in heaven so he could restore harmony to the universe by dividing the years among them. Based on the order they arrived, the Jade Emperor assigned a year to each animal and gave those humans born in that year the characteristic of the corresponding animal. The Rat tricked the Cat out of her place in the zodiac and arrived first, taking his place at the head of the celestial order. Following the Rat, the other signs of the Chinese zodiac are the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

The ancient Mayans also had a zodiac made up of thirteen animal figures. These animals mostly corresponded to the same star patterns recognized by the Greeks and Romans but with representations based on the animals of their culture. To the Mayans, Aries was an ocelot, Gemini a bird, Cancer a frog, Sagittarius a fish-snake, Aquarius a bat, and Pisces a skeleton.

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