Septentrion
Warlord
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2015
- Messages
- 152
We were going to do the Chinese as a separate set and give access based on Heritage (base culture) BUT further research showed that even the Chinese is actually the same set, just different names and associated text about the signs but if you align them up right they end up pretty much being identical with the only real difference being that the Chinese were more concerned about the year than the month of birth - which in essence just makes the Chinese calendar fall directly in line with the influence of House of Jupiter. Match up the wheel so that Monkey = Aquarius and it becomes pretty apparent its the same list in the end. Ultimately there was only one time that Astrology was 'invented' and the reference to that is in cuneiform saying something to do with how the Lord God Enlil divided the sky into 12 parts. It's been a tech with us since Sumeria, and of course we keep finding that most technology in the ancient world was spread by Sumerians and neighboring civilizations that learned from them. Astrology, on the tech tree, therefore, like most of the Ancient tree, is quite late, as most of the entirety of the Ancient tree came about in an almost overnight fashion in Sumer. It is, however, placed where it is, because it reached a peak of fashion of use during the Babylonian period of supremacy. Even the original Sumerian 12 signs weren't quite what the Greeks made popular and widespread knowledge of in the Western world eventually - and because of how prolific their education was about including it, many historians who haven't kept up with the latest knowledge still believe that Astrology was invented in Greece. It is quite likely that the Chinese system is just another way to express that same original.
I don't find that convincing. There are 12 moons in a year everywhere, and is equally divisible in any culture. Anthropologist do like to draw connections, and seeing the same simple number isn't even a coincidence. Also, I feel like very strong evidence is needed to rule out a separate Chinese invention.
I kind of assumed 12 near was the number of group wonders you wanted in the set. If we add Asian and American wonders to that group, would it be too many?
Also, the Mezoamericans deserve gameplay acknowledgement but I don't know if they had signs as they are more known for their huge cycles. I could see them getting the planets "signs" in the end.