THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BABYLONIAN ZODIAC: SOME PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS

The development of the signs of the zodiac as a division of the band through which the moon, sun, and planets travel into twelve equal parts represents a major step in the history of ancient astronomy. The development of the uniform zodiac took place in Babylonia in the late fifth century BC and was subsequently transmitted to other parts of the ancient world. In this paper I present a preliminary discussion of the development of the zodiac as a framework for positioning celestial bodies. This development took place within a Babylonian tradition which was both observational and computational. In addition to consideering the conceptual framework of the zodiac, I pay particular attention to the way that names for the signs of the zodiac were assigned.