The Moon is: Waning Crescent How the 12 fold division of the sky into the signs of the zodiac was adopted by civilisations separated by the oceans and time, so long ago is a mystery. The Greeks adopted the symbols from the Babylonians and passed them on to the other ancient civilisations. The twelve zodiacal signs for these constellations were given the names we now know in the 2nd century by the astronomer Ptolemy. The Egyptians assigned other names and symbols to the zodiacal divisions. The Chinese also adopted the 12-fold division, but called the signs rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, serpent, horse, sheep, monkey, hen, dog, and pig. Independently, the Aztecs devised a similar system.
It is believed that the zodiacal signs originated in Mesopotamia as early as 2000 BC when ancient astronomers recorded the sun's yearly journey across the celestial sphere. They associated dates with the constellations in this narrow belt, which is known as the zodiac, assigning to each constellation of stars the dates when the sun was in the same region of the celestial sphere as the constellation. To discover more about a star sign, just follow the links below. When you've read about the signs of the zodiac why not find out about the planets and their influences?
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