The Star Zodiac of Antiquity

In the early third century AD, two zodiac systems converged.1 One was the ancient star-zodiac derived from the constellations, while the other was the tropical zodiac, with its beginning at 00 Aries firmly anchored to the Vernal Point, the Sun’s position at the Spring Equinox. It will be argued here that this latter, tropical, system had not, in the third century, come to be accepted by astrologers, but that it was to gradually come into use amongst astrologers as the earlier, sidereal system sank into a deep oblivion, at least in the West, from which it did not re-emerge until rediscovered late in the nineteenth century.