Powell, R. (2007). History of the Zodiac. San Rafael, California: Sophia
Academic Press.
Reviewed by Carmen ARDELEAN
What is the meeting point of acting, Math, and the Babylonian calendar / zodiac?
There are moments in a passionate reader’s life when, simply by chance, he/she
comes across a book which proves to be a very pleasant surprise. Indeed, it was
a fortuitous event that I could discover the scientific research abilities of a person
long known as a celebrated actor of the 1970s.
Unknown to many, Robert Powell has taught Math and Statistics at Brighton
University and holds a Ph.D. at the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Institute for
the History of Sciences, the thesis defended in 2004 being the basis for the book
presented here. Notwithstanding its presumably lighter topic, the author’s
approach stands proof of a remarkably thorough research in ancient cultures,
doubled by an easy-to-read, pleasant style by which otherwise complex
information is made available to anyone interested in learning more about that
age of mankind.
His choice was in no way a fortuitous one: the Chaldean segmentation of time in
close connection with the stars, originating in the fifth century BC Babylon,
became the basis for the modern calendar as we know it today, as well as for
the zodiac and astrology.
Powell’s study proposes a dynamic historical approach to a topic that influenced
cultures around the world; one which, in time, lost part of its importance while
being gradually being replaced by science. But, as shown by the author, the
“sidereal zodiac” (the one which was based on the study of stars, since the oldest
of times) had a major significance for ancient communities in structuring their
activities and major celebrations.
In what the European cultures are concerned, Pythagoras is viewed as the first
to make known Chaldean achievements to his fellow Greeks, the main source of
cultural and scientific inspiration for all later cultures on our continent. What we
know about Pythagoras, apart from his contribution in philosophy or
mathematics, comes from Porphyry’s Life of Pythagoras, where he explains the
effects of Pythagoras’ visit to Babylon, and that “it was during his stay among
these foreigners that Pythagoras acquired the greater part of his wisdom”, thus
ensuring “a certain amount of cross-cultural transmission between Greece and
Babylonia in the fifth century.” (Powell, 2007: 26).
BULETINUL ŞTIINŢIFIC AL UTCB SERIA: Limbi străine şi comunicare, vol. XIII, nr. 1/2020
80
For the history of astronomy, Babylon marks the origin of the division of the year
into twelve months (which has remained the same until today, in spite of the few
changes it underwent during Roman times or due to more precise calculations in
more recent times). An important contribution to this end, mentioned by Powell,
is that of Claudius Ptolemy, who made a detailed description of the main stars in
no less than 48 constellations known during his time, in his book Almagest. It
was then followed by Commentary to Aratus by Hipparchus, in the second
century BC, with what seems to be the first star catalogue of constellations,
gradually leading to the modern solar calendar.
Powell’s journey through the stars continues with more interesting topics, from
the phenomenon of precession of the equinoxes, to a comparison between the
tropical and sidereal zodiacs, with precise geographical explanations involving
ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian or Indian cultures, from the Egyptian “decans”
to the Hindu “nakshatras”. Each chapter is an impressive quest, which adds new
layers of knowledge for the reader.
As the author points out in the Afterword to his study: “As the tropical zodiac is
still used as a coordinate system in modern astronomy, the uncovering of the
line of descent from the solar calendar of the Babylonians to the tropical zodiac
reveals the indebtedness of modern astronomy to its origins in Babylonian
astronomy” (Powell, 2007: 207). Unbelievable as it may seem, the study of this
topic took no less than thirty years in the life of the author, thus helping us
understand that, beyond the remarkable achievements of a famous actor may
well reside a scientific interest of a complex, impressive personality.
And, on a more personal note, by reading this book I could not ignore the
linguistic abilities of ancient personalities, such as Pythagoras, who understood,
from the earliest of times, the importance of knowing the languages spoken by
different communities, and learning from them, thus becoming the first
mediators between cultures and facilitating the spread of information through
translation.
About the reviewer
Carmen ARDELEAN is an Associate Professor of English and Communication, Ph.D.,
Technical University of Civil Engineering. She is the Director of the Research
Centre for Specialised Translation and Intercultural Communication (TSCI). She
also holds a Master in Political Studies. She is the author of 8 books on Translation
Studies, Cultural Studies and Localisation and over 45 articles on the same topics.
E-mail: carmen.ardelean@utcb.ro
BULETINUL ŞTIINŢIFIC AL UTCB SERIA: Limbi străine şi comunicare, vol. XIII, nr. 1/2020
81