The classification of the signs of the zodiac, familiar from childhood, is taken for granted, but few know why there are exactly 12 signs? On the surface lies such a simple and understandable association as "12 months", but to get to the bottom of the true reason for such a division, one should turn to astrology.
Instructions
Step 1
The zodiac (Greek ζωδιακός, "animal") is a belt on the celestial sphere, stretching along the ecliptic, along which the visible paths of celestial bodies and planets pass. In astrology, this belt is divided into 12 equal sections of 30 degrees, each of which corresponds to one of the 12 months of the year and one of the 12 constellations. The etymology of the word is explained by the fact that almost all signs are represented either by animals or by mythological creatures.
Step 2
It is worth noting that there are 13 zodiac constellations, but the signs of the zodiac are associated with them only conditionally, the 13th constellation Ophiuchus did not receive its sign. The number 12 is extremely important in astrology. It is associated with 12 Olympic deities, and with 12 muses of Apollo, and with 12 exploits of Hercules, with 12 noon and night, 12 angles of the Star of David, etc. It was also believed that 12 zodiacal constellations corresponded to 12 meridians of the human body.
Step 3
The zodiac system took shape in the Middle East in Babylon by the middle of the 1st millennium BC, as evidenced by the cuneiform tablets "Mul Apin" (which means "the constellation of the Plow" in Russian). The habitual division into 12 equal parts occurred around the 5th century AD, when ten-degree sections were grouped into three by the Athenian astronomer Euctemon. The first mentions of horoscopes date back to this time. Euctemon was the first to create a stellar calendar (parapegma), in which he indicated the equinoxes and solstices, as well as the annual rising and setting of fixed stars. It was he who divided the solar (tropical) year into 12 months, the first five of which lasted 31 days, and the next 30.
Step 4
A lot of time has passed since then, and as the stars gradually shifted towards the zodiacal movement of the luminaries, the constellations and signs of the zodiac ceased to correspond to each other. For example, the constellation Aries is now located in the zodiacal sector of Taurus. At present, "constellation" is a purely astronomical concept, denoting a section of the celestial sphere, and "zodiac sign" is an astrological one, indicating a specific arc of the ecliptic.
Step 5
Western astrology uses a tropical year to determine the zodiac, the beginning of which is at the vernal equinox (the ascending node of the ecliptic). Thus, the first sector of the ecliptic is the sign of Aries (March 21 - April 20), the second is Taurus, followed by Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
