How did Babylonian astrology influence Greek and Roman thought?

Babylonian astrology profoundly influenced Greek and Roman thought, primarily through the transmission of celestial divination and mathematical astronomy during the Hellenistic period. While the Greeks originally practiced divination through omens like bird flight or oracles, they lacked an early tradition of celestial interpretation.12

The integration of these systems occurred as follows:

• Transmission of Knowledge: Following the expansion of the Achaemenian dynasty, Babylonian astronomical data and omen traditions reached Greece and Egypt. This contact introduced the Greeks to the concept of celestial signs as meaningful indicators.132
• Mathematical Foundations: The Greeks adopted the Babylonian sexagesimal system of computation and specific astronomical parameters, which were later utilized by figures such as Hipparchus.6
• Development of Horoscopy: During the Hellenistic age, Babylonian and Egyptian influences converged to create genethlialogy (casting birth charts). This system combined the Babylonian zodiac with Greek philosophical concepts, such as the correspondence between the macrocosm and the microcosm, to predict individual life courses.4
• Systematization: The Greeks further refined these practices by integrating them with Pythagorean opposites and Aristotelian elemental theories, transforming Babylonian omen-reading into a complex, structured discipline that remained influential through the Roman era and into the Renaissance.564