Q: What is Hellenistic Astrology?
A: We use the term to refer to the astrology that emerged during the Hellenistic era in or around Alexandria, Egypt sometime between the Alexandrian conquest and the beginning of the Christian era. This astrology persisted through the Roman period and into the
early Byzantine
era; in older scholarship it is usually
referred
to as Greek astrology. In the early days of Project Hindsight, we followed that convention but came to realize that another term was needed. Calling it Greek astrology seemed somewhat akin to calling Christianity a Greek religion simply because of the language in which the primary source texts were written.
Without minimizing the contribution of Greek thought to this astrology, there are important reasons for not assuming that Greek thought or culture is central to the conceptual framework of this astrology. It also should be mentioned that most of the authors of the surviving texts were not ethnic Greeks. Calling it Egyptian astrology was problematic, due to the confusion it would cause with the earlier Egyptian
Decanic
astrology; hence, we settled on the term Hellenistic astrology. For more information, see Hellenistic Astrology: An Overview.
Another problem is that the term Greek astrology tends to be over-identified with the astrology of Claudius Ptolemy, whom the Latin west considered to be the paradigmatic Greek astrologer. One of our main concerns is uncovering the pre-Ptolemaic tradition as originally formulated in the Hellenistic era proper. For more on this, see The System of Hermes.
Q: How do you account for the similarities between Vedic and Hellenistic
astrology?
A: This question is discussed in the article
The Relation of Hellenistic to Indian Astrology.
Q: Why can't you use one of those new computer translation programs to
do your translations?
A: Please see the article The Challenges of Translating Hellenistic Astrological Writings.
Q: Where do you get the source texts from which you make your translations?
A: We obtain Critical Editions from various university libraries through interlibrary loan.
Q: How accurately were the Hellenistic astrological charts calculated?
A: This issue is discussed in Astronomical
Issues in Hellenistic Astrological Practice.
Q: Did Hellenistic astrologers do horary and mundane as well as natal
astrology?
A:
To date, there is no good evidence that Horary astrology was practiced during the Hellenistic era. Mundane astrology was practiced extensively; however, unlike the Persian and later Arabian astrologers, there is no evidence that Hellenistic astrologers ever applied their discipline to the systematic study of history.
See Types of Hellenistic Astrology.