Abstract
THE study of astrology fascinated mankind for some two thousand years. The fundamental idea was the association of a god with each planet and the transfer of the god's character and mythology to the planet. As a result the planet itself was believed to exercise a direct influence on mankind. A crude form of astrology grew up in Mesopotamia in prehistoric times. But Martin P. Nilsson (Medd. Lunds Astron. Observ., ii, No. 111 ; 1943) suggests that the great system of astrology properly so called was a product of the Hellenistic age. Though based on the false premise already mentioned, the study of the heavens was scientific, and was the result of the labours of a number of scientific observers in the Hellenistic world.
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Astrology in the Hellenistic Age. Nature 159, 92 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/159092c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/159092c0