As requested by one of my Patreon students, I decided to make this available to the public by doing a video/podcast response to this specific lecture. I realized that this was one of the longest lecturers I had ever heard and my student had difficulty with comparing notes to the questions that were asked. Now, I love this particular segment because it was very difficult compared to other lecturers, and after hearing some of the listening excerpts on YouTube, I’m afraid that the majority of you will have difficulty if you come across a lengthy lecture on the test. Without further ado, let’s dive into this!
Notes
Astrology is…..
anthropology course
influenced by astrology
Roots from manifestations
asia, south america, modern day
what is astrology — celestial objects, stars, planets, moons, movement and position influence human events
broadest = search for meaning in sky
encompasses astronomy
without it, won’t have modern astronomy
no technological benefits of the skies
development = earliest records 25k years
prehistoric men made diagrams on cave walls
men examine, question, and understand process of natural world
bodies have no effect = not true
moon influences tides and rivers
awareness of this helped men and prepared for annual weather like floods
Predictive tool
ancient babylon
recording planetary movements 2k BC
they kept records for 21 years
2300 BC dated back
observations // not predictions
babylonian astrology was concerned with physical events = politics, earthquakes
position of stars can’t determine fate
gods associated with specific planets, displayed some erratic behavior, meant god was angry
Astronomy other cultures too
Alexnader the great = fundamental of the spread in Asia
Bablyloanian beliefs = greek culture
greek overtook international language
1st century BCE, two astrology, PAST, present, future and other soul and stars
greek culture spread to ancient rome
rome, astrology popular amongst lower orders of society
Cato, farmers danger
2nd century, juvenil, roman women hung on every word
high born astrological bug, tiberius started employing astrologers
intellectual romans said other planets are much further, they can only have a tiny influence compared to moons
ignores affect, parenting, health, medicine, have on other people’s characters and fate
Carnitus, belief in fate denied free will
Same time identical can live in tribes and cultures
Questions
1 What is the lecture mainly about?
- how ancient astrology has influenced modern astronomy
- the evolution of astrological beliefs and practices
- a comparison of Babylonian and Greco-Roman astrology
- ancient arguments against the power of astrology
2 What is implied about astrologers in ancient Rome?
- They were more respected if they had Greek origins
- They had significant influence, particularly over lower class people
- They still utilized the ancient Babylonian script
- They made significant contributions to the study of natural science
3 Which of the following practices took place in ancient Babylon? Choose 2 answers.
- The positions of celestial bodies were extensively recorded
- Kings communicated directly with the gods in the stars
- People consulted astrologers to determine their futures
- Precautions were taken when celestial omens were observed
4 What can be concluded about Cicero and Carneades?
- Both of them saw good and bad aspects to astrology
- Cicero had a negative view of astrology, while Carneades had a positive one
- Both of them disagreed with the arguments put forward by astrologists
- Cicero saw both good and bad sides to astrology, while Carneades had only a negative opinion
5 According to the professor, when did Astronomy begin to be used as predictive tool?
- When Alexander conquered asla
- Ancient Roman times
- Around 25,000 years when prehistoric man made diagrams depicting lunar cycles on cave walls
- Ancient Babylonian times
6 Which of the following is true about the development of Astrology?
- By the 1st century BCE, there was only one strand of astrology concerned with reading about the past, present, and future
- The earliest records of astronomical cycles dated back to ancient Babylonian times
- Alexander contributed greatly to the spread of Astrology
- Babylonian astrology was concerned with how the position of stars could determine a single person’s fate
Arsenio's ESL Podcast 
Leave a Reply