|Sagittarius |22nd November |Man or man-horse with bow, or | |(the Archer). |(Chisleu = |an arrow symbol. | | |Nov.-Dec.). | | |---------------+---------------------+-------------------------------| |Capricornus |21st December (Tebet |Ea's goat-fish. | |(the Goat). |= Dec.-Jan.). | | |---------------+---------------------+-------------------------------| |Aquarius (the |19th January (Sebat =|God with water urn. | |Water Carrier).|Jan.-Feb.). | | |---------------+---------------------+-------------------------------| |Pisces (the |18th February (Adar =|Fish tails in canal. | |Fishes). |Feb.-March). | | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ The Babylonian Creation myth states that Merodach, having fixed the stars of the Zodiac, made three stars for each month (p. 147). Mr. Robert Brown, jun., who has dealt as exhaustively with the astronomical problems of Babylonia as the available data permitted him, is of opinion that the leading stars of three constellations are referred to, viz.: (1) the central or zodiacal constellations, (2) the northern constellations, and (3) the southern constellations. We have thus a scheme of thirty-six constellations. The "twelve zodiacal stars were flanked on either side by twelve non-zodiacal stars". Mr. Brown quotes Diodorus, who gave a résumé of Babylonian astronomico-astrology, in this connection. He said that "the five planets were called 'Interpreters'; and in subjection to these were marshalled 'Thirty Stars', which were styled 'Divinities of the Council'.... The chiefs of the Divinities are twelve in number, to each of whom they assign a month and one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac." Through these twelve signs sun, moon, and planets run their courses. "And with the zodiacal circle they mark out twenty-four stars, half of which they say are arranged in the north and half in the south."[328] Mr. Brown shows that the thirty stars referred to "constituted the original Euphratean Lunar Zodiac, the parent of the seven ancient lunar zodiacs which have come down to us, namely, the Persian, Sogdian, Khorasmian, Chinese, Indian, Arab, and Coptic schemes".