Astrology is thought to have first developed in Babylon some time before 2500 B.C. It spread to the eastern Mediterranean area around 2100 years ago. So you would expect to find the oldest astrology board in Babylon.
But in 1999, thirty bits of ivory found in a cave near Nakovana in Croatia and painstakingly assembled over the next several years, proved to be the remains of what is now the oldest known astrologer’s board. The part of the cave containing the ivory fragments had been deliberately sealed off more than 2,000 years ago and lay undisturbed until discovered by a team led by Staso Forenbaher of the Institute for Anthropological Research in Zagreb.
Over time, the Greek symbols used for the signs of the zodiac replaced earlier versions developed by the Babylonians and other cultures and are still in use by today’s astrologers.
Researchers are uncertain where the board was made, although the ivory was identified as coming from an elephant. They believe the symbols may have been attached to a wooden board that did not survive. They also have no idea why it was placed in a cave, which is not a particularly good place for observing stars and constellations.
The cave also contained a large number of drinking vessels which appear to have been deposited over hundreds of years. If these drinking vessels were used in rituals, then the cave had a long history of special significance for the people who lived in the area long before the board was left there. Was it hidden there, or was it an offering to some unknown deity?
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