Astrology Basics
Astrology Basics
Getting Started
Chart Structure
Types of Astrology
Planet Characteristics
Planet Characteristics
Visiting Dignitaries
Personal, Social, & Transpersonal
Essential Dignities
Aspects
What is Retrograde?
Sign Characteristics
Sign Characteristics
Ambience in the Room
Constellations vs Signs
Elements
Qualities
House Characteristics
House Characteristics
What's the Subject

Types of Astrology

Throughout history, the development of astrology was closely tied to the study of the physical night sky for the purpose of keeping track of time and predicting the future.  Different cultures, separated by mountains and oceans, with no internet, no cell phones, no way of communicating, all developed similar ways of relating what they saw in the sky to what was happening around them.

Some of the earliest records are from Sumeria and Babylon in the region known as Mesopotamia, dating back to around 3600 BCE.  That area roughly covers current day Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and part of Iran. From there, knowledge spread throughout Eqypt, Greece, and Rome.  What  is known as Western Astrology toay came from those roots.  Read more on Wikipedia...

In the Far East, the development of Chinese Astrology is thought to have originated around 3000 BC.  Its concepts reflect the Chinese tradition, where the physical world is closely tied to the concept of all things being connected.  Read more on Wikipedia...

Hindu, or Vedic Astrology as it is known more recently, developed in India, through the oral traditions of the Veda period, which began around 1700 BC.  It defines the signs of the zodiac based on the fixed positions of stars rather than the gradual precession of the vernal equinox position used in Western Astrology.  Read more on Wikipedia...

Another type of astrolgy, Mesoamerican Astrology, found its roots in South America.   Prior to the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in the 14th and 15th centuries, the Aztecs and Mayans, among others, had developed a complex system of calendars and gods.  Read more on here...

You can also read more on Wikipedia about the history of astrology here...