As people today use zodiac signs to develop character assumptions, many question how they evolved. These horoscope traditions date back to many ancient civilizations and the days of tablature and Greek gods. 

Although the true origin of horoscopes remains unknown, traces have been found in ancient cultures. TIME shares that China’s noblemen used the eclipse and sunspots to determine the wellbeing of the king. This shows that the ancient people believed the star configurations had little to no impact on the life of peasants. Likewise, Sumarians and Babylonians used tablature to track the position of gods in the sky. One historic and relevant piece of rock was the Venus Tablet of Ammisdaqua. It was dated to the first millennium BC, and is one of the earliest pieces of the Babylonian planetary omens. Similarly, Ancient Egyptians contributed to the theories of constellations formed many years before. 

Many years later around 330 B.C., Alexander the Great carried the ideas of horoscopes as he conquered Egypt. TIME also adds, “there must have been a lot of exchange that got the Greeks on-board with the idea of divination using planets.” Many historians believe this due to Alexander using mathematics and in-depth logic to convince the Egyptians of his theories. 

By 1500 B.C, the Babylonians had constructed 12 equal signs, some of which included the Great Twins, the Lion, and the Scales. These signs were then revised by many groups of people throughout the subsequent  years. 

Today, many astrologers base their planetary-movement calculations and forecasts based on the sign’s relativity to the sun. In current society, many use the zodiac signs to identify personality traits and behavioral characteristics. Below are the zodiac signs listed with their correlated time periods: 

• Aries — the ram (March 21-April 19)
• Taurus — the bull (April 20-May 20)
• Gemini — the twins (May 21-June 20)
• Cancer — the crab (June 21-July 22)
• Leo — the lion (July 23-August 22)
• Virgo — the maiden (August 23-September 22)
• Libra — the scales (September 23-October 22)
• Scorpio — the scorpion (October 23-November 21)
• Sagittarius — the archer (November 22-December 21)
• Capricorn — the sea goat (December 22-January 19)
• Aquarius — the water bearer (January 20-February 18)
• Pisces — the fish (February 19-March 20)