Astrology originated in Babylon around 2,400 B.C. The Babylonians were skilled astronomers who studied the cycles of the planets and invented the first astrological system. They created the zodiac wheel that we use today, a device that presents the constellations, through which the Sun and planets travel during the year. This device was used to regulate the calendar and to study future planetary movements with the objective of making predictions.

It is later on in Alexandria, once it became the intellectual center of the ancient world, where the concept of the “horoscope” as we know it today was born. This concept brought together the Babylonian zodiac with the Greek notions of the four elements (fire, water, air, and earth). The Greeks also brought the names of the planets and zodiac signs, as we know them today.

In 140 A.D., Ptolemy published Tetrabiblos, which is one of the most respected ancient astrology books written, as it contains core techniques used in astrology to this day such as the zodiac signs, the house system, and aspects/angles between planets.

By the 2nd century, astrology was fully developed and adopted in Rome, where it was favored by emperors and commoners. However, after the collapse of the Roman Empire and the fall of Alexandria, astrology disappeared for several hundred years. It was kept alive by Islamic scholars who translated astrological works into Arabic, and these were later on translated into Latin as they made their way to Europe during the Middle Ages (12th century.