<P> Astrology is the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial objects as a means for divining information about human affairs and terrestrial events . Astrology has been dated to at least the 2nd millennium BCE , and has its roots in calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications . Many cultures have attached importance to astronomical events , and some -- such as the Indians , Chinese , and Maya -- developed elaborate systems for predicting terrestrial events from celestial observations . Western astrology , one of the oldest astrological systems still in use , can trace its roots to 19th -- 17th century BCE Mesopotamia , from which it spread to Ancient Greece , Rome , the Arab world and eventually Central and Western Europe . Contemporary Western astrology is often associated with systems of horoscopes that purport to explain aspects of a person 's personality and predict significant events in their lives based on the positions of celestial objects ; the majority of professional astrologers rely on such systems . </P>
where did the idea of horoscopes come from
calendrical systems used to predict seasonal shifts and to interpret celestial cycles as signs of divine communications