igoS.] IN BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA. 653 



the seats of all gods and goddesses on to the heavens. Again, the 

 influence of moon and sun, as well as storms with their accompany- 

 ing phenomena, on the fate, welfare and happiness of mankind was 

 so apparent as to force itself upon the notice even of people living 

 in a state of primitive culture ; and when we pass to the higher stages 

 of nomadic, semi-nomadic and agricultural life, the dependence of 

 the country's prosperity and of the individual's welfare upon sun, 

 moon and climatic conditions would be correspondingly increased. 

 The observation of the movements and aspects of sun and moon 

 would follow as a natural consequence, and we may suppose that at 

 a comparatively early stage in cultural development crude and 

 sporadic attempts might be made on the basis of empirical observa- 

 tions to select the favorable moment for such actions as the under- 

 taking of a journey, for hunting or war, for the planting of seeds, 

 for the gathering of the harvest or even for the pairing of domesti- 

 cated animals. The influence of the planets and stars, however, 

 would be less obvious and indeed until a comparatively advanced 

 stage of intellectual development would not be recognized at all. 

 Astrology in the proper sense, therefore, is not found among peoples 

 of primitive culture^® who at the most are guided by certain 

 empirical considerations in their enterprises. 



The projection of the seats of all the gods on the heavens can 

 only have arisen in people's minds as the outcome of theoretical 

 speculation. This, to be sure, represents merely the extension by 

 analogy of the primitive conception of sun, moon and storms, bat an 

 extension which for the very reason that it is neither obvious nor 

 the result of actual experience, lies outside of the range of early 

 thought. The views of Cumont^" and BolP® iriay, therefore, be un- 

 hesitatingly accepted that astrology everywhere represents a scientific 

 view of the universe — scientific of course in a relative sense, and in 

 comparison with the conceptions that underlie hepatoscopy or with 

 the significance attached to universal occurrences on earth or to the 



'" See above, p. 647, note 3. 



" Les Religions Orientales dans le Paganisme Romain " (Paris, 1907), 

 pp. 197 seq. 



^*"Die Erforschung der antiken Astrologie " (Neue Jahrbiicher fiir das 

 Klassische Altertum, I., Abt., Bd. XXL), p. 108 seq. 



