astrology: References & Edit History
More Articles On This Topic
- Roman religionReligion in the later Republic: crises and new trends
- Hellenistic religionThe gods
- ancient Middle EastReligion
- divinationThe structure of divination
- divinationDivination at the end of the 20th century
- Talmud and MidrashAstrology, magic, and divination
- Mesopotamian religionThe magical arts
- mystery religionTheology
- polytheismNatural forces and objects
- nature worshipStars and constellations
Additional Reading
F. Leigh Gardner, A Catalogue Raisonné of Works on the Occult Sciences, vol. 2, Astrological Books (1911), useful for European astrology; J.C. Houzeau and A. Lancaster, Bibliographie générale de l’astronomie, 2 vol. in 3 (1880–89, reprinted 1964), including in vol. 1 a listing of some 2,500 works on astrology; David Amand (Emmanuel Amand de Mendieta), Fatalisme et liberté dans l’antiquité greque: recherches sur la survivance de l’argumentation morale antifataliste de Carnéade chez les philosophe grecs et les théologiens chrétiens des quatre premiers siècles (1945, reprinted 1973), a discussion of ancient philosophical criticisms of astrology; Auguste Bouché-Leclercq, L’Astrologie grecque (1899, reprinted 1979), the fundamental work on Greek astrology; Jean-Louis Brau, Helen Weaver, and Allan Edwards, Larousse Encyclopedia of Astrology (1980, reissued 1982; originally published in French, 1977), useful for modern astrology; Franz Cumont, Astrology and Religion Among the Greeks and Romans (1912, reprinted 1960), a review of astrology’s position in pagan religions; Robert Eisler, The Royal Art of Astrology (1946), an excellent critical history; Eugenio Garin, Astrology in the Renaissance: The Zodiac of Life (1983; originally published in Italian, 1976), on astrology’s relationship to other aspects of Hermetism; Michel Gauquelin, The Scientific Basis of Astrology: Myth or Reality (1969; originally published in French, 1964); Hilaire de Wynghene, Les Présages astrologiques (1932), a survey of astrology in ancient Mesopotamia; Ellic Howe, Urania’s Children: The Strange World of the Astrologers (1967), a history of astrology in England and Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries; E.S. Kennedy and David Pingree, The Astrological History of Māshāʾ allāh (1971), an Arabic text and English translation on Sāsānian astrology; Hans Lewy, Chaldaean Oracles and Theurgy: Mysticism, Magic and Platonism in the Later Roman Empire, new ed. by Michel Tardieu (1978), on astrology’s role in other divinatory practices; Carlo Alfonso Nallino, “Astrologia e astronomia presso i Musulmani. 1. Astrologia,” in his Raccolta di scritti editi e inediti, ed. by Maria Nallino, vol. 5, Astrologia, astronomia, geografia, pp. 1–41 (1944), the best discussion of astrology in Islām; David Pingree, Census of the Exact Sciences in Sanskrit, 4 vol. (1970–81), an account of Indian astrologers; and G.J. Toomer (trans.), Ptolemy’s Almagest (1984), the most important classical astronomical text and the source of all subsequent astrological theory.
Article Contributors
Primary Contributors
Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors
Article History
| Type | Description | Contributor | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modified link of Web site: Universities of Wisconsin Open Ed Network - Survey of Astronomy - Astrology and Astronomy. | Oct 19, 2026 | ||
| Add new Web site: Universities of Wisconsin Open Ed Network - Survey of Astronomy - Astrology and Astronomy. | Aug 29, 2026 | ||
| Added top questions about Mercury in retrograde. | Feb 26, 2026 | ||
| Add new Web site: ABC listen - Nightlife - Astrology: what can it reveal about you. | Sep 29, 2025 | ||
| Added the discussion of Chinese zodiac, updated media, included the Adorno quote, and made small adjustments for readability and clarity. | Jul 10, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: OpenStax - Astronomy 2e - The Birth of Modern Astronomy. | Feb 14, 2025 | ||
| Add new Web site: CiteSeerX - The Mathematics of Astrology Does House Division Make Sense? (PDF). | Dec 20, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia - Astrology. | Mar 29, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: Universities of Wisconsin Open Ed Network - Survey of Astronomy - Astrology and Astronomy. | Feb 14, 2024 | ||
| Add new Web site: University of California, Berkeley - Understanding Science - Astrology: Is it scientific? | Nov 10, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: JewishEncyclopedia.com - Astrology. | Apr 27, 2023 | ||
| Add new Web site: Academia - The Geometry of the Zodiac (PDF). | Aug 13, 2022 | ||
| Removed dated passage. | Aug 09, 2021 | ||
| Add new Web site: LiveAbout - Understanding the Basics of Astrology. | Feb 07, 2021 | ||
| Corrected display issue. | Oct 29, 2020 | ||
| Media added. | Jan 10, 2019 | ||
| Removed tables. | Aug 09, 2018 | ||
| Add new Web site: Tour Egypt - Astrology history in Egypt. | Apr 04, 2018 | ||
| Add new Web site: Ancient Origins - The 4,000 Year History of Horoscopes: How Astrology Has Been Shaped Throughout the Millennia. | Nov 03, 2017 | ||
| Add new Web site: Understanding Science - How Science Really Works - Astrology: Is it scientific? | Nov 03, 2017 | ||
| Add new Web site: History World - History of Astrology. | Nov 03, 2017 | ||
| Media added. | Aug 18, 2017 | ||
| Media added. | May 12, 2016 | ||
| Add new Web site: ILoveIndia.com - Astrology History. | Mar 10, 2013 | ||
| Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Astrology. | Mar 10, 2013 | ||
| Add new Web site: The Catholic Encyclopedia - Astrology. | Mar 10, 2013 | ||
| Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Entertainment - What is Astrology? | Feb 20, 2009 | ||
| Media added. | Jan 28, 2009 | ||
| Added new Web site: Quatr.us - Meteor. | Feb 28, 2007 | ||
| Added new Web site: The Islamic Astrolabe. | Nov 16, 2006 | ||
| Article revised. | Jun 24, 2004 | ||
| Article revised. | Sep 27, 2002 | ||
| Article revised. | Sep 05, 2000 | ||
| Article added to new online database. | Jul 20, 1998 |