History of the Zodiac
by Powell, Robert
pub. Sophia Academic Press - San Rafael, California, 2006 - copyright 2014     softcover   isbn 1 59731-152-9 (softback) - and - isbn 1 59731-153-7 (hardcover) - LCCN 20061000661 - - Babylonian Star Calendar. Epoch 100 which occupies Appendix I. pages 151 - 194. Appendix II (Issac) Newtons Chronology takes up pages 195 - 202. - - Bibliographt p. 208 - 214. - - Total 214 p.
This book is a PhD thesis which was held up when the communist government in Poland made it impossible to finish the authors studies at the Jagiellonian Universityon Kracow where Copernicus studied a very long time ago. Although Powell began his thesus he could not complete it until 2004 and the government of Poland opened for studies at the university.
The general concept of the Zodiac as understood by the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Egyptians and the Indian civilizations are described.

nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; CONTENTS
Acknowledgements - p.1
Introduction - p.3
1. Signs and Constellations of the Zodiac p. 11
2. The Precisions of the Equinoxes p. 30
3. The Tropical Zodiac p. 57
4. The Siderial Zodiac in Egypt p. 84
5. The Sideral Zodiac in Mesopotamia p. 96
6. The Sideral Zodiac in India p. 114
Appendix I. Babylonian Star Catalog Reconstructed p. 140
Appendix II. Newtons Chronology p. 195
Afterward p. 203
Bibliography p. 208

The understanding of the Babylonian astronomy is only understood recently when a number of cuniaform tablets became were desciphered, describing their concepts of the elements of astronomy, the stars, constellations and planets.
A major difference - the Babylonian Zodiac was Siderial - measured by the revolution of the stars but the Greek Zodiac was Tropical meaning it was limited between the stars nearer the eclitic (or the equator in the sky) bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and The Tropic of Capricorn. It also measured from the first point of Aries. Do not aske me what that means. I believe it is the place in time when the Spring (Vernal) equiniox crosses the equator.
The author worked with the Babylonian records and matched them with the stars as they appeared in early hisotrical time to create a full Babylonian Star Calendar. Epoch 100 which occupies Appendix I. pn pages 151 - 194. Appendix II (Issac) Newtons Chronology which takes up pages 195 - 202.

For those who would like to pursue historical astronomy, this is your book
~ 2019-11-01~

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