I Owe Claudius Ptolemy an Apology. . .

[Guest guest]

Hello, everyone.

 

That's right. You're not hallucinating. You're really reading this, and I

mean it.

 

Yesterday I received a copy of a book I thought was out of print -- Fagan &

Firebrace's _A Primer of Sidereal Astrology_. And, I must confess, the

chapters on the history of the " two " zodiacs was more than a little

illuminating.

 

First, I was wrong when I said Claudius Ptolemy invented the Tropical Zodiac.

The truth is, he didn't. The TZ's real inventor, the Greek astrologer

Posidonius, predated Ptolemy by over two hundred and fifty years.

 

Unlike the Babylonians and the Egyptians, the Greeks were under the

impression that the constellations moved, rather than the Equinox points (the

Egyptians & Babylonians, OTOH, fixed the stars, with the Pleides at 5*

Taurus, Aldeberan at 15* Taurus, Regulus at 5* Leo, Spica at 29* Virgo, and

Antares at 15* Scorpio -- less than ten minutes off from their modern

Sidereal longitudes [not too shabby, those ancients!]).

 

Also, there was some controversy over what the longitude the Northern Vernal

Point should have -- 8* Aries, 10* Aries, 12* Aries, or even 15* Aries.

Fixing the Northern Vernal Point at 0* Aries would come later.

 

When Claudius Ptolemy wrote the _Tetrabiblos_ (circa 139CE), the Northern

Vernal Point was fairly close to 0* Aries. The two " zodiacs " nearly

coincided, which is how the tropical " signs " received the qualities of the

sidereal constellations. All Ptolemy did was note this fact. He never

endorsed the Tropical Zodiac! This " endorsement " was really due to people

who misunderstood, and then mistranslated, Ptolemy's comments. (Fagan

likened this to saying that an astronomer who'd written a booklet called " How

to Calculate the Sunrise Time " really believed the Sun " rose " rather than the

earth rotated from east to west.)

 

Therefore, let it be known that I hereby acknowledge that I was wrong about

Ptolemy, and that, when confronted with facts contrary to my opinion, I will

change my mind.

 

Later,

Kevin/Baraka

[Guest guest]

-

Aumgn93

; astrology

Tuesday, 15 February, 2000 21:36

I Owe Claudius Ptolemy an Apology. .

 

 

" ....(S)aying that an astronomer who'd written a booklet called " How

to Calculate the Sunrise Time " really believed the Sun " rose " rather than the

earth rotated from east to west. "

 

Ahem -- shouldn't that read " West to East " ?

 

Blessed Be !

 

The (Slow on the Uptake) Curmudgeonly Pedant,

 

Bat

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hello!

 

In a message dated 00-02-16 18:25:15 EST, 'twas written:

 

>

> " ....(S)aying that an astronomer who'd written a booklet called " How

> to Calculate the Sunrise Time " really believed the Sun " rose " rather

than

> the

> earth rotated from east to west. "

>

> Ahem -- shouldn't that read " West to East " ?

 

Quite right. . . I was tired when I typed that. . .

 

Later,

Kevin/Baraka