History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.335.4

v6.c82.335.4

There are many who deny that except for a few signs (like the Scorpion) there is hardly any very striking similarity between the twelve groups of constellations called Aries &c. and the natural appearance of the objects denoted by the twelve names.⁸⁴⁰ The origin of the names assigned to Zodiacal signs is unknown. The zodiacal signs named Meṣa, Vṛṣabha &c. are purely imaginary, are mere subjective configurations of stars which appear to be in one plane and which appear to certain persons to possess somehow the outline of a scorpion or a lion which are, as modern astronomy tells us, situated at enormous distances (light years as they are called) from each other. The same constellation is often given different names; e. g. the constellation called Great Bear was called by Thales 'the wain' (waggon drawn by horses). The twelve Zodiacal signs are clearly absent from the sacred astronomy of Egypt⁸⁴¹ and the Egyptians knew nothing of the Zodiac before the Alexandrian age and very few Zodiacs are older than the Roman times Since Assyriologists began to reveal the astronomical knowledge in the valley of the Euphrates, the Babylonian origin of the Zodiac has been taken for granted by almost all scholars⁸⁴² The dissenting voice is that of E J.