Astrology through History
Subtitle: Interpreting the Stars from Ancient Mesopotamia to the Present
By: edited by William E. Burns
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Published: 2023
Place of publication: Santa Barbara
Language: eng
Number of pages: 432
ISBN-13: 9798400615580
Subjects: Astrology
Description: Alphabetically arranged entries cover the history of astrology from ancient Mesopotamia to the 21st century. In addition to surveying the Western tradition, the book explores Islamic, Indian, East Asian, and Mesoamerican astrology.  The field of astrology is growing rapidly, as historians recognize its centrality to the intellectual life of the past and sociologists and anthropologists treat its importance in a number of modern cultures. Despite the historical and cultural significance of the subject, most reference works on astrology focus on instructional techniques and are written by astrologers with little or no interest in the history of the topic. This book instead offers an objective treatment of astrology across world history from ancient Mesopotamia to the present.  The book provides alphabetically arranged entries by expert contributors writing on such topics as horoscopes, court astrologers, Renaissance astrology, and comets. While it considers the Western tradition, it also treats Islamic, Indian, East Asian, and Mesoamerican astrology. In doing so, it explores the role of astrology in shaping science, literature, religion, art, and other defining cultural traditions. Sidebars offer excerpts from various historical texts, while entries provide suggestions for further reading.
Table of contents: title: Alphabetical List of Entries Topical List of Entries Preface Introduction Timeline A-Z Entries Glossary Selected Bibliography About the Editor and Contributors Index