Compiled by Gary D. Thompson
Copyright © 2001-2008 by Gary D. Thompson
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Books/Pamphlets:
Allen, Richard. (1899, Reprinted 1936 (in France), and 1963 (in USA)). Star-Names and Their Meanings. [Note: The 1963 reprint title was "Star-Names: Their Lore and Meaning." The 1963 reprint was unrevised and included only grammatical corrections. At the time of his death the author was working on a revised edition but it remained unfinished. (The original edition is now very scarce.) The book should not be used as it is an uncritical compilation from out-dated secondary sources and contains numerous errors; especially regarding Arabic, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian constellations and star names. (As example: Regarding his discussion of Arabic star names. Allen had no knowledge of Arabic and he uncritically relied upon Ludwig Ideler's outdated book "Untersuchungen über den Ursprung und die Bedeutung der Sternnamen." He never made any attempt to check the accuracy of this secondary source he used with any primary sources - as Paul Kunitzsch did in the 1950s for his doctoral thesis.) Though a number of his bibliographical references are obscure it is possible to successfully identify most of his main sources. In the "Introduction" to his book Richard Allen indicates the main core of his sources as comprising "Untersuchungen über den Ursprung und die Bedeutung der Sternnamen," by Ludwig (some sources have Ludewig) Ideler (1809) (main source of Arabic and other European material); "The Cycle of Celestial Objects," by William Smyth (the edition used is not identified but either 2 volumes 1844, or the revised one volume edition by George Chambers, 1881) (the main source of Western historical star lore and general material); "The Dawn of Astronomy," by Norman Lockyer (1894) (the main source of Egyptian material); "Observations of Comets: from B.C. 611 to A.D. 1640: extracted from the Chinese Annals," by John Williams (1871) (a main source of Chinese material); "A Dictionary of the Chinese Language," by Robert Morrison (3 Parts, 1815-1823) (a main source of Chinese material); and unspecified publications by Johann Strassmaier and Joseph Epping, Archibald Sayce, Robert Brown Junior, Peter Jensen, and Fritz Hommel (the main sources of Mesopotamian material, generally circa 1895 latest). Paul Kunitzsch has demonstrated the unreliability of Ludewig Ideler as a reliable source for Arabic material. The historical chapters dealing with the solar zodiac and the lunar zodiac need to be ignored entirely. For Western constellations and star names use of Richard Allen's "Star-Names" should be replaced with: "Planetarium Babylonicum," by Felix Gössmann (1950) (but now becoming outdated); "Egyptian Astronomical Texts," by Otto Neugebauer and Richard Parker (3 Volumes, 1960-1969); "Gestirnnamen bei den indogermanischen Völken," by Anton Scherer (1953); (importantly) "Le vocabulaire latin de l'Astronomie," by André Le Boeuffle (3 Volumes, 1973) (who traces both Greek and Babylonian antecedents for Latin constellation/star names); and "Arabische Sternnamen in Europa," by Paul Kunitzsch (1959); and for star lore its use can be replaced with "Mythen der Sterne," by Friedrich Norman (1925); "The New Patterns in the Sky: Myths and Legends of the Stars," by Julius Staal (1988); and (importantly) "Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets," by Ed. Krupp (1991). See the (English-language) article "Richard Hinckley Allen." by Lucy Morris in Popular Astronomy, Volume 14, 1906, Pages 592-594. by Life dates: 1838-1908.]
Barrett, John. (1800). An enquiry into the origin of the constellations that compose the zodiac, and the uses they were intended to promote. [Note: Unreliable. Life dates: 1753-1821.]
Bobrova, Larissa. and Militarev, Alexander. (1993). "From Mesopotamia to Greece: On the Origin of Semitic and Greek Star Names." In: Galter, Hannes. and Scholz, Bernhard. (Editors). Die Rolle der Astronomie in den Kulturen Mesopotamiens. [Note: A philological study of constellation and star names.]
Boll, Franz. and Bezold, Carl. (1918). Antike Beobachtungen farbiger Sterne. [Note: A study of coloured stars in both Mesopotamia and Greece. See the (German-language) book review by Otto Schroeder in Theologische Literaturzeitung, Volume 44, Number 7/8, 26 April, 1919, Columns 73-74.]
Büchel, Carl. (1905). Über Sternnamen. [Note: 15-page, A4 size pamphlet.]
Condos, Theony. (1997). Star Myths of the Greeks and Romans: A Sourcebook. [Note: An English-language translation of the "Catasterismi" of the Pseudo-Eratosthenes and the "De Astronomia" attributed to Hyginus. Based on her doctorate thesis and needs to be used with some caution. See the (English-language) book reviews by Roger Ceragioli in Journal for the History of Astronomy, Volume 30, Part 3, 1999, Pages 313-315; by Ken Dowden in The Classical Review, New Series, Volume 49, Number 2, 1999, Pages 587-588; and by John McMahon in Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of Astronomy in Culture, Volume XVI, 2001, Pages 98-99.]
Davis, Junior., George. (1944; republished 1963). "Pronunciations, Derivations, and Meanings of a Selected List of Star Names." (Popular Astronomy, Volume 52, Number 1, January, Pages 8-30). [Note: Republished as a pamphlet in 1963 by Sky Publishing Corporation. The author was an American lawyer, amateur astronomer, and Arabic scholar. An excellent resource though not absolutely reliable on the derivation of Western star names from Arabic sources.]
E[?], C[?]., E[?], A[?]., and X. (1950). "Constellation." In: Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 6, Pages 311-313). [Note: Unreliable regarding the early history of the Mesopotamian constellations. The authors obviously regard the researches of Robert Brown Junior as reliable.]
Frank, Roslyn. and Bengoa, Jesús. (2001). "Hunting the European sky-bears: on the origin of the non-zodiacal constellations." In: Ruggles, Clive. (Editor). Astronomy, Cosmology and Landscape. (Pages 15-43). [Note: A paper first presented at the SEAC98 conference in Dublin. Interesting for what it attempts but it contains some key misunderstandings and dubious assumptions.]
Frank, Roslyn. (2003). "Hunting the European Sky Bears: A Proto-European Vision Quest to the End of the Earth." In: Fountain, John. and Sinclair, Rolf. (Editors). Current Studies in Archaeoastronomy: Conversations Across Time and Space. (Pages 455-4476). [Note: Selected papers from the 5th Oxford international conference on archaeoastronomy held at Santa Fe in 1996.]
Gallant, Roy. (1979). The Constellations: How They Came to Be.
Genuth, Sara. (1997). "Constellations." In: Lankford, John. (Editor). History of Astronomy: An Encyclopedia. (Pages160-164). [Note: Excellent short article.]
Genuth, Sara. (1997). "Globes, Celestial." In: Lankford, John. (Editor). History of Astronomy. (Pages 235-238).
Ginzel, Friedrich. (1906-1914). Handbuch der mathematischen und technischen Chronologie. (3 Volumes). [Note: All 3 volumes reprinted 1958. Somewhat dated but not yet superseded. Contains such interesting things as a comparative list of Arab, Indian, and Chinese moon stations. See the (English-language) book review by Christopher Cheney in The English Historical Review, Volume 75, Number 295, April, 1960, Pages 381-382. Friedrich Ginzel was an astronomer. Life dates: 1850-1926.]
Grimaldi, Alexander. (1905). A Catalogue of Zodiacs and Planispheres. Originals and Copies, Ancient and Modern, Extant and Nonextant from BC 1320 to AD 1900 arranged according to countries and in chronological order.
Gundel. Hans. (1992). Zodiakos Tierkreisbilder im Altertum. [Note: A revision and expansion of the author's 1972 article (which was also contributed to by Robert Böker) in Paulys Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft. An excellent reference on the subject. (Hans Gundel was the son of the classical philologist Wilhelm Gundel.) See the (French-language) book review (of the separately published 1972 article) by Frank van Wonterghem in L'Antiquité Classique, Tome XLII, 1973, Pages 679-680.]
Hill, John. (1754; Reprinted 1768). Urania: or, A Compleat View of the Heavens; Containing the Antient and Modern Astronomy, In Form of a Dictionary. [Note: I have given the spelling of the full title as it appears. Contains a massive amount of (sometimes mistaken) ancient constellation lore. The author was a medical doctor and Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Bourdeaux. Life dates: 1707-1775. Brought to my attention by Robert van Gent.]
Ideler, Ludwig [also Ludewig]. (1809, Reprinted 1994). Untersuchungen über den Ursprung und die Bedeutung der Sternnamen. [Note: A landmark study for its time but now thoroughly outdated. The basis of the book is Ideler's translation of the original 13th-century Arabic text Description of the Constellations by the Persian astronomer Al Kazwini, with Ideler's additions and annotations from classical and other sources. Ludewig Ideler was an astronomer, mathematician, chronologist, and philologist. See the (German-language) book review by ? in Allgemeine Literatur - Zeitung, Number 270, Dienstags, den 3., October, 1809, Columns 249-251?/254? Life dates: 1766-1846.]
Kelley, David. and Milone, Gene. (2005). Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic Survey of Astronomy. [Note: An immense world-wide survey of ancient astronomy. Reliant on secondary sources. Somewhat selective on coverage but this is to be expected. Approximately 600 double-column pages. Numerous discussions of constellations and star names. Also see the section "Origin of the Constellations," Pages 220-221. Contains an extensive bibliography.]
Kunitzsch, Paul. and Smart. Tim. (1986; revised 2nd edition 2006). Short Guide to Modern Star Names and Their Derivations. [Note: An excellent English-language summary of 254 Western star names. See the (English-language) book review by Deborah Warner in Isis, Volume 78, 1987, Page 275.]
Kunitzsch, Paul. (1997). "Star Names." In: Lankford, John. (Editor). History of Astronomy: An Encyclopedia. (Pages 489-490).
Kunitzsch, Paul. and Smart, Tim. (2006). A Dictionary of Modern Star Names. [Note: The revised 2nd edition of Short Guide to Modern Star Names and Their Derivations. This revised 2nd edition is a 76-page pamphlet. Like its predecessor it focuses on Western star names in current use.]
Langdon, Stephen., Fotheringham, John. and Schoch, Carl. (1928). The Venus Tablets of Ammizaduga. [Note: Somewhat dated; especially since the work of the Swiss statistician Peter Huber. For an (English-language) obituary of Carl Schoch by John Fotheringham see The Observatory, Volume 53, May 1930, Pages 83-85. For a (German-language) obituary of Carl Schoch by Paul Neugebauer see Astronomische Nachrichten, Volume 237, November 1929-February 1930, Number 5676, Columns 221-224. For an (English-language) obituary of John Fotheringham by John Myres see the Proceedings of the British Academy, Volume XXII, 1937, Pages 551-564. Life dates for Carl Schoch: 1873-1929. Life dates for Stephen Langdon: 1876-1937. Life dates for John Fotheringham: 1874-1936.]
Le Boeuffle, André. (2004). Astronymie, les noms des étoiles. [See especially: §1 : Le formation de la carte céleste. The author is a specialist on ancient astronomy and is now Professor Emeritus at l'université d'Amiens.]
Martos-Rubio, A[?]. (1992). Historia de las constelaciones: Un ensayo sobre su origen.
Moreux, Théophile. (1925, new edition 1947). "A la lueur des étoiles." In: La Science Mystérieuse des Pharaons. [Note: Chapitre VII, Pages 103-120. An unreliable general survey of the origin and early history of the constellations.]
O'Neil, William.(1986). Early Astronomy: from Babylonia to Copernicus. [Note: The author taught psychology at University of Sydney (New South Wales) but also had a deep interest in ancient astronomy and ancient calendars. See the (English-language) book review by R[?]. Grognard in Search, Volume 18, Number 5, September/October 1987, Page 271.]
Oppenheim, Samuel. (1912). Das astronomie weltbild im Wandel der Zeit.
Orr, Mary. (1913; Revised edition 1956). Dante and the early astronomers. [Note: Includes a short critical discussion of the "void zone" theory of constellation origins. The author was a solar astronomer and was also a Director of the Historical Section of the British Astronomical Association. She was married to the noted British solar astronomer John Evershed. See the (English-language) book review by Robert Forbes in Archives Internationales d'Histoire des Sciences, 1957, Page 141.]
Partridge, Archibald. (1936). The Story of the Heavens: How the 48 Ancient Constellations got their Names 5000 Years Ago. [Note: Uncritical and unreliable. The author was an astrologer and also appears to have been an occultist. Largely based on the book "Phainomena, or the Heavenly Display of Aratos" by Robert Brown Junior (1885). Contains the complete translation (by Robert Brown Junior) of the "Phainomena" by Aratus. He also wrote: The Story of the Zodiac, its Antiquity and its Message.]
Pluche, Noël-Antoine. [commonly referred to as: Abbé Le Pluche.] (1739, 2 Volumes). Histoire du Ciel. [Note: A highly popular book. The first volume is largely devoted to a discussion of Egyptian mythology. The second volume is a chronological review of creation theories. Within the book he discusses the zodiac. The author was a French priest and teacher of Rhetoric. Life dates: 1688-1761.]
Plunket, Emmeline. (1903; Reprinted 1997). Ancient Calendars and Constellations. [Note: The 1997 reprint was titled Calendars and Constellations of the Ancient World. A series of papers having no usefulness. The Aristocratic author (1834-1924) was a minor British poet and writer, and was a daughter of the 3rd Baron Plunket. Circa 1890 she became an adherent to astronomical interpretation of mythology. (See: "The Judgement of Paris and Some Other Legends Astronomically Considered" (1906; Reprinted spiral bound by Ballantrae circa 1995). See (English-language) book reviews of her "Ancient Calendars and Constellations" by Anon in The Athenæum, Number 3967, November 7, 1903, Page 618; by Anon in Nature, Number 1773, Volume 68, Thursday, October 22, 1903, Pages 593-594; by Anon in Notes and Queries, Tenth Series, Volume 1, March 26, 1904, Page 260; by Edward Maunder in Knowledge & Scientific News, Volume 1, Number 1, New Series, February, 1904, Pages 1-3; by Anon in The Journal of the British Astronomical Association, Volume XIV, October 1903-September 1904, Number 1, Pages 33-35; and the 1997 reprint review by Clive Davenhall in Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Volume 2, 1999, Pages 164-165. Davenhall misspells her name as Plunkett.]
Powell, Robert. (2007). History of the Zodiac. [Note: The book was kindly brought to my attention by Jean Kelley. Based on the author's 2004 PhD thesis awarded at the Polish Academy of Science (Institute for the History of Science) in Warsaw. Robert Powell is an astrologer and the book is concerned with the issue of the sidereal zodiac versus the tropical zodiac during the history of its transmission. For some reason the author gives the misspelling Franz Zavier Kugler instead of the correct spelling Franz Xaver Kugler.]
Proctor, Richard. (1869; Frequently reprinted). Half-hours with the Stars. [Note: Life dates: 1837-1888.]
Proctor, Mary. (1938). "Origin of the Constellations." In: Proctor, Mary. Everyman's Astronomy. (Pages 141-157). [Note: Chapter IX of her book. The author was the daughter of the popular astronomical author/lecturer Richard Proctor by his first marriage. Basically the author supports the "void zone" argument.]
Rhode, Johann. (1809). Versuch über das Alter des Thierkreises und den Ursprung der Sternbilder. [Note: Life dates: 1762-1827.]
Roberts, Peter. (1802). Essay on the origin of the constellations. [Note: Unreliable. Life dates: 1760?-1819.]
Ruggles, Clive. (2005). Ancient Astronomy: An Encyclopedia of Cosmologies and Myth. [Note: Comprehensive and critical. Frequent discussion of ancient constellations and possible ancient constellations. The author is Professor of Archaeoastronomy at the University of Leicester.]
Sesti, Giuseppe. (1991). The Glorious Constellations. [Note: Unreliable and should not be used. (Best only for the numerous illustrations.) See the critical (English-language) book review by Elly Dekker in Annals of Science, Volume 50, Number 5, 1993, Pages 498-499; and also the somewhat uncritical (English-language) book review by George Lovi in Sky and Telescope, Volume 83, Number 3, March, 1992, Pages 283 & 286.]
Scherer, Anton. (1953). Gestirnnamen bei den indogermanischen Völken. [Note: Invaluable. See the (English-language) book review by Ernest Pulgram in Language, Volume 30, 1954, Pages 284-285; and the (German-language) book review by Ernst Zinner in Theologische Literaturzeitung, Volume 82, Number 9, September, 1957, Columns 674-675.]
Schnabel, Paul. (1923; reprinted 1968). Berossos und die Babylonisch-Hellenistische Literatur. [Note: The author was convinced that the Babylonians knew of the phenomena of precession. However, Otto Neugebauer thoroughly rebutted the evidence used by Schnabel. The book contains numerous errors.]
Swartz, Carl. (1807). Recherches sur l'origine et le signification des Constellations de la Sphère greque. [Note: Unreliable.]
Swartz, Carl. (1809). Le Zodiaque expliqué. [Note: The revised (standard) edition of his earlier work published in 1807. Unreliable. In the first and second editions of his book Carl Swartz, an amateur astronomer, proposed that the unconstellated area of the southern sky gave an approximate date for the formation of the constellations. The author was born in Sweden and died in France. (His first name is sometimes given as "Christian" and his last name is sometimes spelled "Schwartz.") Life dates 1757-1824.]
Ungnad, Arthur. (1923). Ursprung und Wanderung der Sternnamen. [Note: Pamphlet. Title in English: Origin and Migration of the Star Names. The author was a noted German assyriologist.]
van der Waerden, Bartel. (1974). Science Awakening II: The Birth of Astronomy. [Note: A generally excellent overview of Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek, and Persian astronomy and star lore. The book is an English-language revision of his Die Anfänge der Astronomie (1965; Republished 1968). For the German-language book see the (German-language) book reviews by Willy Hartner in Gnomon, Band 44, 1972, Pages 529-537; and Wolfram von Soden in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, Dreiundsechzigster Jahrgang, 1968, Columns 350-354; and the (English-Language) book review by Owen Gingerich in Journal of the American Oriental Society, Volume 89, 1969, Pages 634-635.]
Wagman, Morton. (2003). Lost Stars. [Note: Not always reliable regarding discussion of early Mesopotamian constellations. Accepts Willy Hartner's conjectures regarding early Mesopotamian constellations. See the (English-language) book reviews by Anon in Sky and Telescope, Volume 107, Number 3, March, 2004, Page 72; and by Owen Gingerich in Journal for the History of Astronomy, Volume 35, Part 2, May, 2004, Number 119, Pages 244-245.]
Webb, Edmund. (1952). The Names of the Stars. [Note: Still important for debunking many constellation myths such as Taurus being the leading constellation of the zodiac and marking the vernal equinox circa 3000 BCE. Argues a case for the Greeks inventing most of their constellations, and not largely borrowing their constellations from Babylonian uranography.]
Werner, Helmut. (1967). "Problems and Results of Comparative Studies of the Celestial Constellations." In: Beer, Arthur. (Editor). Vistas in Astronomy. (Volume 9, Pages 135-145).
Werner, Helmut. and Schmeidler, Felix. (1986). Synopsis of the Nomenclature of the Fixed Stars. [Note: Completed and edited by Felix Schmeidler. See the (English-language) book review by Morton Wagman in Journal for the History of Astronomy, Volume 19, 1988, Pages 59-61.]
Whyte, Charles. (1928). The Constellations and their History. [Note: Unreliable.]
Articles/Entries:
Baity, Elizabeth. (1973). "Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy So Far." (Current Anthropology, Volume 14, Number 4, Pages 389-431). [Note: Comments immediately follow the article from pages 431-439. The authors reply immediately follows the comments from pages 439-449. World-wide in scope, a little dated in some areas, and still very useful.]
Bishop, Jean. (2004). "How Astronomical Objects are Named." (The Planetarian, Volume 33, Number 3, Pages 6-24).
Carlson, John. and Cherry, Ron. (1966). "Anthropods in Astronomy." (American Entomologist, Volume 42, Number 3, Fall, Pages 149-158).
Flanders, David [Tony]. (2005). "Star Names. From Alcor to Zubeneschamali, every star's name tells a fascinating story." (Night Sky, May/June, Volume 2, Number 3, 2005, Pages 54-60). [Note: A reliable general overview of the history of Western star names.]
Gundel, Hans. (1963). "Himmelsbilder auf antiken Planisphären." (Sterne und Weltraum, Band 2, Pages 203-206).
Gundel, Hans. and Böker, Robert. (1972). "Zodiakos." In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft. (Band XA, Columns 462-709). [Note: This lengthy article was also separately published in 1972.]
Gundel, Wilhelm. (1949). "Paranatellonta." In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft. (Sechsunddreissigster Halband Zweites Drittel, Columns 1214-1275).
Hamp, Eric. (1972). "The Principal (?) Indo-European Constellations." In: Heilman, Luigi. (Editor). Proceedings of the Eleventh International Congress of Linguists. (2 Volumes, Pages 1047-1055). [Note: The paper is in Volume II.]
Heuter, Gwyneth. (1986). "Star Names - Origins and Misconceptions." (Vistas in Astronomy, Volume 29, Pages 237-251). [Note: Not always reliable.]
Ideler, Ludewig. (1838). "Über den Ursprung des Thierkreises." (Abhandlung der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Pages 1-24).
Kollerstrom, Nicholas. (1997). "The Star Zodiac of Antiquity." (Culture and Cosmos, Volume 1, Pages 15-22).
Krupp, Ed. (2000). "Night Gallery: The Function, Origin, and Evolution of Constellations." (Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of Astronomy in Culture, Volume XV, Pages 43-63). [Note: The best summary study to date. Originally presented at Oxford VI, June, 1999. Supportive of Willy Hartner's controversial views on the earliest constellations.]
Kunitzsch, Paul. (1997). "Star Names." In: Lankford, John. (Editor). History of Astronomy. (Pages 489-490).
Kurtik, G[?]. (1999). "The Identification of Inanna with the Planet Venus: A Criterion for the Time Determination of the Recognition of Constellations in Ancient Mesopotamia." (Astronomical and Astrophysical Transactions, Volume 17, Pages 501-513). [Note: Interesting.]
Linnartz, Harold. (1997). "Nachtvoorstelling: sterren en sterrenbeelden." (Natuur & techniek, Volume 65, jaarg., aug, Pages 76-85). [Note: This (Dutch/Flemish-language?) article is on the origin of the constellations in use today.]
Makemson, Maud. (1954). "Astronomy in Primitive Religion." (The Journal of Bible and Religion, Volume 22, Number 3, July, Pages 163-171).
Maunder, Edward. (1885). "An Old Monument: or the Story of the Constellations." (Sunday Magazine, April, Pages 158-162). [Note: One of his earliest article on the origin of the constellations and unreliable. Obviously influenced by the ideas of the classicist and linguist Frances Rolleston (1781-1864) in her "gospel in the stars" book "Mazzaroth, or The Constellations" (4 Volumes, 1862-1865). The later articles (1898 onwards) by the Evangelical astronomer Edward Maunder (1851-1928) on the origin of the constellations were influenced by the ideas of the Swedish amateur astronomer Carl Swartz (1757-1824) in his "Le Zodiaque expliqué" (1809) published in Paris.]
Miller, Roy. (1988). "Pleiades Perceived: Mul.Mul to Subaru." (Journal of the American Oriental Society, Volume 108, Pages 1-25).
Mouser, Robert. and Forbes, Eugene. (1949). Star Names. [Note: Privately published.]
Renson, Pierre. (1997). "Les constellations." [Parts I to V]. (Ciel et Terre, Volume 113, Number 1, Janvier-Février, Pages 3-8; Number 2, Mars-Avril, Pages 47-52; Number 3, Mai-Juin, Pages 111-115; Number 4, Juillet-Août, Pages 147-152; Number 6, Novembre-Décembre, Pages 193-200). [Note: The series of five (French-language) articles comprises a comprehensive overview of the origin and history of the Western constellations. The journal is published in Belgium by the Observatoire Royal de Belgique. The author is an astronomer (astrophysicist).]
Ridpath, Ian. (1990). "The Origin of Our Constellations." (Mercury, Volume 19, Number 6, November/December, Pages 163-171). [Note: Not wholly reliable.]
Rumrill, H[?]. (1936). "Star name pronunciation." (Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Volume 48, Number 283, June, 1936, Pages 139-154).
Various authors. (1921). "Sun, moon, stars." In: Hastings, James. (Editor). Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics. (Volume 12; Pages 48-103). [Note: Comprehensive and still useful world-wide coverage but now rather dated. Section titles are: Introductory, Primitive, American, Babylonian, Buddhist, Celtic, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and Roman, Hebrew, Hindu, Iranian, Japanese, Jewish, Muhammadan, Semitic, Teutonic and Balto-Slavic.]
Wilson, Edith. (1913). "The Story of the Zodiac." (Popular Astronomy, Part 1, Volume XXI, March, Number 3, Pages 151-158; Part 2, Volume XXI, April, Number 4, Pages 216-225). [Note: Outdated and unreliable.]
Zhitomirsky, S[?]. (1999). "Archaeoastronomy and Aratus' Phaenomena." (Astronomical and Astrophysical Transactions, Volume 15, Pages 293-294). [Note: Argues that Aratus is describing the skies circa 2000 BCE.]
Zhitomirsky, S[?]. (1999). "Aratus' "Phaenomena": Dating and Analysing its Primary Source." (Astronomical and Astrophysical Transactions, Volume 17, Pages 483-500). [Note: Argues that Aratus is describing the skies circa 2000 BCE.]
Mythology, Symbolism, and Religion
Books/Pamphlets:
Andrews, Munya. (2004). The Seven Sisters of the Pleiades. Stories from around the World. [Unreliable somewhat mystical type of presentation.]
Andrews, Tamra. (1998). Legends, of the Earth, Sea, and Sky. An Encyclopedia of Nature Myths. [Note: The author is a university reference librarian turned full-time writer. The entries on astronomical topics are very general in nature and not always reliable.]
Ackerman, Phyllis. (1938). "The Oriental Origins of Janus and Hermes." (Bulletin of the American Institute for Iranian Art and Archaeology, Volume V, Pages 216-225). [Note: Astronomical mythology. Phyllis Ackerman was a teacher, author, editor, and translator in the fields of Persian textiles, and European tapestries, and also Chinese bronzes, iconography, and symbolism. At the University of California, Berkeley, she excelled in mathematics. However, she changed disciplines and in 1920 married Arthur Pope (who was then a lecturer in the department of philosophy and aesthetics at the University of California, Berkeley. She and Arthur Pope collaborated to edit the monumental A Survey of Persian Art (6 Volumes, 1938-1939). She and her husband spent most of their lives in Iran, and both are buried there. See the (English-language) biographical entry (including incomplete bibliography) by Cornelia Montgomery in Encyclopaedia Iranica edited by Ehsan Yarshater (1985 - Present). Life dates: 1893-1977.]
Ackerman, Phyllis. (1940). Gods of Our Forefathers. [Note: 16-page pamphlet on Persian astral beliefs/mythology. The booklet summarises the more detailed arguments given by the author in other publications of the Iranian Institute. Many of her detailed writings on the topic remain unpublished (and are in the care of a museum in Shiraz). She was a strongly original but somewhat speculative thinker.]
Ackerman, Phyllis. (1945). Ritual Bonzes of Ancient China. [Note: Numerous excellent photographs. The book is an example of the authors astral interpretation of artifacts. See the restrained (English-language) book review by Wolfram Eberhard in Artibus Asiae, Volume 10, Number 1, 1947, Pages 74-80.]
Ackerman, Phyllis. (1950; Reprinted but no date (circa 1970?). "The Dawn of Religions." In: Ferm, Vergilius. (Editor). Forgotten Religions. [Note: An informed (but somewhat speculative) article. Both the author and her husband, Arthur Pope, were experts on Persian art and architecture. Her ideas in this essay are critically discussed in "Some Recent Literature in Philosophy of Religion." by Richard Millard (Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Volume 12, Number 3, March, 1952, Pages 422-430.]
Ackerman, Phyllis (1960; Reprinted 1968). "Stars and Stories." In: Murray, Henry. (Editor). Myth and Mythmaking. [Note: An interesting article on Mesopotamian star lore. The author shows a lack of understanding of the origins of Panbabylonism.]
Aitken, Robert. (1948). The Era of the Four Royal Stars. (Leaflet Number 227, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, February). [Note: Generally unreliable.]
Barber, Elizabeth. and Barber, Paul. (2004). When They Severed the Earth From the Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth. [Note: The authors maintain that myth originated in prehistoric non-literate societies as a vehicle to preserve and transmit information about real events and observations. The authors state that the original inspiration for much of their book were the essays in Before Philosophy by Henri and Henriette Frankfort, John Wilson, and Thorkild Jacobsen (1949). Chapter 16: Of Sky and Time is sufficient demonstration of the uninformed and wildly speculative nature of the authors arguments. They uncritically follow the central theme of Hamlet's Mill by Giorgio De Santillana and Hertha von Dechend. Elizabeth Wayland is Professor of Linguistics and Archaeology at Occidental College, Los Angeles. Paul Barber is a research associate with the Fowler Museum of Cultural History at the University of California, Los Angeles.]
Blake, John. (1877). Astronomical Myths. [Note: Interesting but dated and generally unreliable. See the (English-language) book review by Anon in Nature, Volume XV, February 22, 1877, Pages 351-352. Life dates: 1839-1906.]
Boll, Franz. (1914; Reprinted 1967). Aus der Offenbarung Johannis: hellenistische Studien zum Weltbild der Apokalypse. [Note: See Classical Philology, Volume 11, Number 3, July, 1916, Pages 343-344 for a (English-language) book review by Shirley Case. See The Classical Review, Volume XXX, 1916, Page 22, for a (English-language) book review by W. K. Lowther-Clarke; and see Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, 19 Jahrgang, Juni 1916, Number 6, Columns 187-188 for a (German-language) book review by Ferdinand Bork; and see Theologische Literaturzeitung, Vierzigster Jahrgang, Number 12, 1915, Columns 273-276 (for a (German-language) book review by [?] Bouffet. For a critical book-length rebuttal of Boll's ideas in his book see Die Apokalypse des Apostels Johannes und die hellenistische Kosmologie und Astrologie, by (the Catholic theologian/(later) bishop) Joseph Freundorfer (1929).]
Bousset, Wilhelm. (1960). Die Himmelsreise der Seele. [Note: A reprint of the author's lengthy 1901 article.]
Brendel, Otto. (1977). Symbolism of the Sphere. [Note: English translation (by Maria Brendel) and re-publication of the author's earlier German-language essay.]
Busenbark, Ernest. (1949). Symbols, Sex, and the Stars in Popular Beliefs. [Note: Unreliable popular freethought work.]
Burnham, Junior., Robert. (1966; Revised edition 1978). Burnham's Celestial Handbook. (3 Volumes). [Note: 2 volumes were published in 1966 and 3 volumes were published in 1978. This latter edition also comprised a revision of the first 2 volumes. The volumes are unreliable regarding discussion of the history of constellations and the meaning of star names.]
Burrows, Eric. (1935). "Some Cosmological Patterns in Babylonian Religion." In: Hooke, Samuel. (Editor). The Labyrinth: Further Studies in the Relation Between Myth and Ritual in the Ancient World. (Pages 43-70). [Note: The ideas in the article have been subject to criticism.]
Chamberlain, Von Del., Carlson, John. and Young, Mary. (2005). Songs from the Sky: Indigenous Astronomical and Cosmological Traditions of the World. [Note: Comprises selected proceedings papers of the "First International Conference on Ethnoastronomy," Washington, D.C., 1983. Published as Volumes XII-XIII, 1996, of Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of the Center Archaeoastronomy. An excellent collection of papers.]
Chevalier, Jacques. (1997). A Postmodern Revelation: Signs of Astrology and the Apocalypse. [Note: Full of interesting material but the validity of its basic thesis has been criticized. At times the author handles the astronomical material uncritically. See the (English-language) book review by Roger Beck in Revue Canadienne, Volume 28, Number 1, 1999. Life dates: 1949- .]
Clark, Helen. (1910). A Guide to Mythology. [Note: Devotes 128 pages to astral myths.]
Clifford, Richard. (1972). The Cosmic Mountain in Canaan and the Old Testament. [Note: A revision and expansion of the author's 1970 doctoral dissertation.]
Collingwood, William. (1886). Astrology in the Apocalypse, An Essay on Biblical Allusions to Chaldæan Science. [Note: Interesting but dated and unreliable. Life dates: 1854-1932.]
Collon, Dominique. (1992). "The Near Eastern Moon God." In: Meijer, Diederik. (Editor). Natural Phenomena: Their Meaning, Depiction and Description in the Ancient Near East. (Pages 19-37). [Note: A conference paper originally presented in 1989.]
Cook, Arthur. (1914-1940). Zeus: a Study in Ancient Religion. (3 Volumes). [Note: A standard study. Includes frequent discussions of astronomical themes. See the (English-language) book reviews by Arthur Pickard-Cambridge in The Classical Review, Volume XXIX, 1915, Pages 80-85; William Crooke in Folk-Lore, Volume XXVI, 1915, Pages 220-223; Herbert Rose in Folk-lore, Volume XXXVII, Number 3, September, 1926, Pages 305-310; and the (French-language) book review by Franz Cumont in L'Antiquité Classique, Tome XI, 1942, Pages 165-168.]
Critchlow, Keith. (1988). "Astronomical and Cosmological Symbolism in Islamic Patterns." In: Sevcenko, Margaret. (Editor). Theories and Principles of Design in the Architecture of Islamic Societies. (Chapter 5, Pages 47-56). [Note: Conference proceedings, the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture.]
Critchlow, Keith. (1976, reprinted 1999). Islamic Patterns: An Analytical and Cosmological Approach. [Note: Keith Critchlow is an architect and Director of the Islamic Arts course at the Prince of Wales Institute of Architecture, London.]
Day, John. (1985). God's conflict with the dragon and the sea. [Note: Contains a discussion of some astral interpretations of the Biblical book of Revelation.]
Drews, Arthur. (1923). Der Sternhimmel in der Dichtung und Religion der Alten Völker und des Christentums. [Note: An astronomical interpretation of religion and mythology. Unreliable but also interesting. See the (English-language?) book review by Julius Ruska in Isis, Volume 7, Number 1, 1925, Pages 158-162).]
Drews, Arthur. (1928). Das Markus-Evangelium.als Zeugnis Gegen die Geschichlichkeit Jesu. [Note: A detailed astronomical interpretation of the life of Jesus as set out in the Gospel of Mark. Unreliable but also interesting.]
Eisler, Robert. (1910; Reprinted 2002). Weltenmantel und Himmelszelt: Religionsgeschichtliche Untersuchungen zur Urgeschichte des Antiken Weltbilds. (2 Volumes). [Note: An interesting collection of material. Eisler's two volumes have been called "highly valuable as phantasmagorias of uncritically used material". The entire volume 1 contains a great mass of material for the heavenly garment (i.e., astral symbols on garments) worn by royalty in ancient and medieval times, as well as by a great number of gods in ancient religion and on into Christianity. Volume 2 presents a similar body of material from sources of all sorts on the vault of heaven as a religious symbol. See the (English-language) book review by Francis Burkitt in The Classical Review, Volume XXV, 1911, Pages 145-147; and the (French-language) book review by Ed[?]. L[?]. in L'Année Sociologique, Tome XII 1909-1912, 1913, Pages 260-266.]
Engnell, Ivan. (1943, Revised edition 1967). Studies in Divine Kingship in the Ancient Near East. [Note: Supports the "Myth and Ritual" School of Samuel Hooke and his associates. Discusses astral interpretations of material.]
Fasching, Gerhard. (1998). Sternbilder und ihre Mythen.
Fischer, Claudia. (2002). "Ur-gigir, a Sumerian Cosmopolitan." In: Wunsch, Cornelia. (Editor). Mining the Archives: Festschrift for Christopher Walker. (Pages 75-92). [Note: A very interesting article on early Mesopotamian astral iconography and mythology.]
Fries, Carl. (1910-1911). Studien zur Odyssee. (2 Volumes). [Note: An astronomical interpretation by a Panbabylonist and adherent of the star-myth school. See the (German-language) book review by Wolfgang Schultz in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, Number 8, August, 1911, Columns 350-357; and Number 4, April, 1913, Columns 173-177.]
Fries, Carl. (1911). Die griechischen Götter und Heroen: Vom astralmythologischen Standpunkt aus betrachtet. [Note: An astronomical interpretation of the Greek gods and goddesses by a Panbabylonist. See the (German-language) book review by Wolfgang Schultz in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, Number 4, April, 1913, Columns 173-177.]
Frobenius, Leo. (1904). Das Zeitalter des Sonnengottes. [Note: Unreliable. See the (French-language) book review by Ch[?]. Renel in Revue de l'Histoire des Religions, Vingt-Cinquième Année, Tome Cinquantième, 1904, Pages 74-80); and the (German-language) book review by Georg Hüsing in Orientalistische Litteratur-Zeitung, 8 Jahrgang, Januar 1905, Number 1, Columns 25-30, 8 Jahrgang, Februar 1905, Number 2, Columns 68-73.]
Gétaz, Claude. (2007). Le Roman Sabéen. (3 Volumes). [Note: The author is a Swiss amateur involved in uncovering "astronomical mythology." He has been influenced by Hamlet's Mill by Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend (1969), amongst others. He identified astral myths everywhere. A fourth volume is currently being written.]
Giedion, Sigfried. (1964; Reprinted 1981). The Eternal Present: The Beginnings of Architecture. [Note: Includes a discussion of Mesopotamian and Egyptian astral concepts and the involvement of such ideas in architecture.]
Goldziher, Ignaz. (1877; Reprinted circa 1970). Mythology Among the Hebrews and its Historical Development. [Note: More sun-myth school in its approach to mythology than truly astronomical.]
Gressmann, Hugo. (1925). Die hellenistische Gestirnreligion. [Note: The author was an authority on the Ancient Near East. See the (German-language) book review by M[?]. G[?]. in Revue de l'Histoire des Religions, Tome XCV, Numbers 2-3, Mars-Juin 1927, Pages 322-323.]
de Gubernatis, Angelo. (1872; reprinted 1968). Zoological Mythology or The Legends of Animals. (2 Volumes).
Haider, S[?]. (1988). "Islam, Cosmology, and Architecture." In: Sevcenko, Margaret. (Editor). Theories and Principles of Design in the Architecture of Islamic Societies. (Chapter 7, Pages 73-85). [Note: Conference proceedings, the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture.]
Gundel, Guilelmus. [Gundel, Wilhelm.] (1907). De stellarum appellatione et religione Romana. [Note: This was the authors doctorate thesis written in Latin. Deals with the stars in Roman religion and literature. For a critical (English-language) book review by F[?]. Granger see The Classical Review, Volume XXIII, Number 2, March, 1909 [1910?], Page 53.]
Gundel, Wilhelm. (1922; Reprinted 1981). Sterne und Sternbilder im Glauben des Altertums und der Neuzeit. [Note: For the first edition the cover title is Sterne und Sternenbilder im Glauben des Altertums und der Neuzeit whilst the title page is Sterne und Sternbilder im Glauben des Altertums und der Neuzeit. For the second edition both the "cover" title and the title page have Sterne und Sternbilder im Glauben des Altertums und der Neuzeit. See the (German-language) book review by Anon in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, Siebenundzwanzigster Jahrgang, 1924, Number 2, Columns 71-72. The 1981 reprint has some additional bibliographic material by (the author's son) Hans Gundel.]
Gundel, Hans. (1968). Weltbild und Astrologie in den griechischen Zauberpapyri. [Note: An analysis of the cosmic, astral, and astrological lore of the Greek magical papyri. See the (English-language) book review by John Griffiths in The Classical Review, New Series, Volume 19, Number 3, December, 1969, Pages 358-360.]
Haliburton, Robert. (1863, Reprinted 1920). New Materials for the History of Man Derived from a Comparison of the Calendars and Festivals of Nations. No 1. The Festival of the Dead. [Note: Deals with lore and calendars connected with the Pleiades. The author was a Canadian lawyer. Life dates: 1831-1901.]
Harding, Arthur. (1935). Astronomy: The Splendour of the Heavens Brought Down to Earth. [Note: The fact that the author was an astronomer did not prevent him from holding the view that the zodiac was invented circa 26,000 BCE.]
Hewitt, James. (1894-1895). The Ruling Races of Prehistoric Times. (2 Volumes). [Note: James Hewitt (1835(36?)-1908) was an Indian Civil Servant. (He was born in Ireland and had retired circa 1900 and returned to Britain.) In 1863 he went to Chota Nagpore (Bengal) as Deputy Commissioner and eventually replaced Colonel Edward Dalton (1815-1880) (East India Company) as the Commissioner of the Province. Similar to Colonel Dalton (who was the first to pioneer ethnological studies in Bengal and whose major book was Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal (1872)) he engaged in anthropological investigations of the local culture. His books are not reliable (and probably neither are his numerous published articles). He was a friend of the civil servant John O'Neill who authored "The Night of the Gods" (2 Volumes, 1893-1897), and ensured the publication of Volume 2 after the author's untimely death. Similarly to John O'Neill he saw an astronomical basis in almost every ancient "Aryan" myth and rite. The author becomes more mystical in tone in his later books. Surprisingly his ideas still find some support in some "academic" quarters. For interest see James Hewitt confidently used by Elsdon Best in his 1922 pamphlet "The Astronomical Knowledge of the Maori."]
Hewitt, James. (1901). History and Chronology of the Myth-making Age. [Note: Unreliable. See the English-language) book review by Anon in The Journal of the British Astronomical Association, Volume XII, Number 3, 1901-2, Page 140.]
Hewitt, James. (1907). Primitive Traditional History. (2 Volumes). [Note: Unreliable. See the (English-language) book reviews by Anon in Nature, Volume LXXVII, January 30, 1908, Pages 291-292; and by William Flinders Petrie in Man, Volume IX, 1909, Pages 94-96.]
Holberg, Jay. (2007). Sirius: Brightest Diamond in the Sky. [Note: An expert history of the lore and science of the star Sirius throughout the ages. The author is a noted astrophysicist and expert on the star Sirius.]
Jackson, Howard. (1985). "The Meaning and Function of the Leontocephaline in Roman Mithraism." (Numen, Volume XXXII, Pages 17-45).
Jankovic, Nenad. (1951). Astronomija u predanjima, obicajima i umotvorinama Srba. [Note: The book is written in Serbo-Croation (Cyrillic). The English translation of the title is: Astronomy in the lore, customs, and the folk wisdom of the Serbs.]
Jensen, Paul. (1900; reprinted 1901). Assyrisch-babylonische Mythen und Epen. [Note: The author was a competent Assyriologist and also a Panbabylonist, and includes some astronomical interpretations of the epic material. See the (English-language) book review by Theophilius Pinches in The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, 1902, Pages 203-207; and the brief (German-language) book review by Charles Fossey in Revue de l'Histoire de Religions, Vingt-Troisiè Année, Tome Quarante-Sixième, 1902, Pages 449-450.]
Jeremias, Alfred. (1911). The Old Testament in the Light of the Ancient East. (2 Volumes). [Note: A revision and enlargement of the second German edition. The author was a leading Panbabylonist and most of the contents on astral lore are unreliable. The book sets out one of the few detailed English-language expositions of Panbabylonism. For a book review of the 1904 German edition see the (German-language) book review by Otto Weber in Orientalistische Litteratur-Zeitung, Achter Jahrgang, Number 3, März 1905, Columns 100-103. See also the (English-language) book review by Allen Menzies in The Review of Philosophy and Religion, Volume 3, Part 1, July 1907 - June 1908, Pages 77-? For book reviews of the 1916 German edition see the (German-language) book reviews by Max Löhr in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, Zwanzigster Jahrgang, Number 10, 1917, Columns 308-309; and by Eduard Mahler in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Verwandte Gebiete, Einunddreissigster Band, 1917/1918, Pages 170-189. For book reviews of the 1930 German edition see the (German-language) book reviews by Anton Jirku in Theologische Literaturzeitung, 55 Jahrgang, Number 21, 11 Oktober 1930, Columns 484-485; and by F[?]. Bork in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, Band XXXIV, Number 2, Februar, 1931, Columns 136-144.]
Jobes, Gertrude. and Jobes, James. (1964). Outer Space: Myths, Name Meanings, Calendars, From the Emergence of History to the Present Day. [Note: An uncritical compilation that needs to be used with caution.]
Jonsson, Bjorn. (No date but (circa) 1994). Star Myths of the Vikings: A New Concept of Norse Mythology. [Note: Bjorn Jonsson (1920-1995) was a physician of Icelandic descent residing in Canada. The book is riddled with errors and showing little understanding of the material. The author could not distinguish the American freemason Robert Hewitt Brown, author of "Stellar Theology" (1882), from the English solicitor Robert Brown Junior, author of "Researches into the Origin of the Primitive Constellations of Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans," (2 Volumes, 1899-1900). See the (English-language) book review by Ed Krupp in Journal for the History of Astronomy, Volume 28, 1997, Pages 353-354 for a summary of its fundamental weaknesses.]
Kane, Matt. (1999). Heavens Unearthed in Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales. [Note: Speculative.]
Kelley, David. and Milone, Gene. (2005). Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic Survey of Astronomy. [Note: See the section "Astronomy and Mythology in Ancient Religion," Pages 474-478.]
Kornemann, Mathhias. (1998). Vom Astralmythos zum Roman.
Krichenbauer, Anton. (1881). Theogonie und Astronomie. [Note: Interprets Homer's Iliad as an astronomical allegory. The German author was a classical philologist. Life dates for author: 1825-1884. See the (English-language) book review by Anon in Nature, Volume XXVI, 1882, August 10, Page 341.]
Krupp, Ed. (1991). Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets. [Note: Comprehensive and excellent. See the (English-language) book review by Von del Chambelain in Sky & Telescope, Volume 83, Number 1, January 1992, Pages 40-41.]
Krupp, Ed. (1997). Skywatchers, Shamans and Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power. [Note: Excellent survey of world-wide beliefs connecting earthly rulers and priests with celestial power and cosmic order.]
Krupp, Ed. (2000). "Sky Tales and Why We Tell Them." In: Selin, Helaine. (Editor). Astronomy Across Cultures: The History of Non-Western Astronomy. (Pages 1-30). [Note: Excellent article. See the (English-language) essay book review by Clive Ruggles in Journal for the History of Astronomy, Volume 35, Part 2, May, 2004, Number 119, Pages 229-236.]
Krupp, Edwin. (2005). "The Color of Cosmic Order." In: Chamberlain, Von Del., Carlson, John. and Young, Mary. (2005). Songs from the Sky: Indigenous Astronomical and Cosmological Traditions of the World. (Pages 9-20). [Note: Comprises selected proceedings papers of the "First International Conference on Ethnoastronomy," Washington, D.C., 1983. Published as Volumes XII-XIII, 1996, of Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of the Center Archaeoastronomy. An excellent collection of papers.]
Kugler, Franz. (1927; English translation 1979). Sibyllinischer Sternkampf und Phaëthon in Naturgeschichtlicher Beleuchtung. [Note: A literal interpretation of the story as a natural catastrophic event. The 1979 (spiral bound) English translation by Guenter Koehler was titled "The Sibylline Starwar and Phaethon In the Light of Natural History." See the (German-language) book review by Wilhelm Gundel in Gnomon, Band 4, 1928, Pages 449-451; the (French-language) book review by Hugh Bévenot in Isis, Volume XII, 1929, Pages 156-157; and the (English-language) book review by Arthur Nock in The Journal of Theological Studies, Volume XXXIII, 1932, Pages 77-78.]
Kunike, Hugo. (1927). Sternenmythologie auf ethnologischer Grundlage.
Lamb, John. (1848). The Phenomena and Diosemeia of Aratus, Translated into English Verse with Notes.
Lang, Andrew. (New edition 1898). "Star Myths." In: Lang, Andrew. Custom and Myth. (Pages 121-142).
Langdon, Stephen. (1931; reprinted 1959). Semitic Mythology. [Note: Contains some interesting discussions of astral lore. See the (French-language) book review by Ch-F. J. in Revue d'Assyriologie et d'Archéologie Orientalie, Volume XXIX, 1932, Number 1, Pages 40-41.]
Larbordus, Leonardus. (1946). De Astronomische Mythen in de Griekse Literatuur van Homeros tot Aratos. [Note: This is a Dutch-language publication. See the (Dutch-language) book review by R[?]. van Pottelbergh in L'Antiquité Classique, Tome XV, 1946, Pages 377-378.]
Leach, Marjorie. (1992). "Stellar Gods: Constellations, Planets, Stars." In: Leach, Marjorie. Guide to the Gods. (Pages 145-169). [Note: Chapter 10 of her book. Brief entries and world-wide coverage.]
Lewis-Williams, David. and Pearce, David. (2005). Inside the Neolithic mind. [Note: Includes informed speculations on Neolithic cosmology.]
Lewy, Hildegard. (1965). "Istar-Sad and the Bow Star." In: Güterbock, Hans. (Editor). Studies in Honor of Benno Landsberger on his Seventy-fifth Birthday. (Pages 273-281).
Lloyd-Jones, Hugh. (1978). Myths of the Zodiac.
L'Orange, Hans. (1953; Reprinted 1982). Studies on the Iconography of Cosmic Kingship in the Ancient World. [Note: Heavily focussed on Persian astronomical symbolism but also discusses Mesopotamian, Hebrew, and Greek, and Christian astronomical symbolism.]
Lum, Peter. (n.d. but 1951). The Stars in our Heaven.
MacKenzie, Donald. (1926; Reprinted 1968). The Migration of Symbols and their Relations to Beliefs and Customs. [Note: Interesting material. See the (English-language) book review by H. D. [H. Dodwell] in Bulletin of The School of Oriental Studies, London Institution, Volume IV, Part III, 1927, Pages 660-661.]
Marchal, Edmond. (1906). "Le "Puits de la verite" issu du symbole de l'astronomie chaldeenne." [Note: The author was Secrétaire perpétuel de l'Académie Royale de Belgique.]
Malina, Bruce. (1997). On the Genre and Message of Revelation: Star Visions and Sky Journeys. [Note: The authors argument is weakened by an uncritical reliance on the outdated and error-riddled "Researches into the Origin of the Primitive Constellations of Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans," by Robert Brown Junior. (2 Volumes, 1899-1900). Also, the author seems not to appreciate the forced arguments of Franz Boll in his "Aus der Offenbarung Johannis: hellenistische Studien zum Weltbild der Apokalypse," (1914). For a succinct critique of Malina's astral ideas on other points see: Revelation by Ben Witherington III (2003). See the (English-language) book reviews by David deSilva in Journal of Biblical Literature, Volume 116, Number 4, Winter, 1997, Pages 763-765; and by Paul Duff in The Journal of Religion, Volume 81, Number 4, October, 2001, Pages 631-632.]
Malina, Bruce. and Pilch, John. (2000). Social-Scientific Commentary on the Book of Revelation.
Massey, Gerald. (1883; reprinted numerous times since). The Natural Genesis. (2 Volumes). [Note: Completely unreliable.]
McBeath, Alaistair. (1998). Sky Dragons and Celestial Serpents. [Note: An interesting study of constellations having draconic and serpentine characteristics, and related star lore. The author is an amateur astronomer (Vice-President of the International Meteor Organization, and Meteor Section Director to the Society for Popular Astronomy. See the rather uncritical (English-language) book review by John Rogers in The Observatory, Volume 118, December, 1998, Page 386; and the critical (English-language) book review by Clive Davenhall in Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Volume 2, December, 1999, Pages 163-164.]
McDonald, Marianne. (1996). Star Myths: Tales of the Constellations.
Meijer, Diederik. (1992). Natural Phenomena: Their Meaning, Depiction and Description in the Ancient Near East. [Note: Proceedings papers of the Colloquim, Amsterdam, 6-8 July 1989. Contains numerous interesting (and critical) papers. Especially worth reading is "The Moon as Seen by the Babylonians" by Marten Stol (Pages 245-277). See the See the (French-language) book review by Dominique Charpin in Revue d'Assyriologie et d'Archéologie Orientale, Volume LXXXVIII, Number 1, 1994, Pages 95-96; the (German-language) book review by ? in Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Vorderasiatische Archäologie, Band 85, I Halbband, 1995, Pages 166-167; and the (English-language) book review by Robert Biggs in Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Volume 55, Number 3, January-October 1996, Pages 243-244.]
Morosow, Nikolaus. (1912). Die Offenbarung Johannis. Eine astronomish-historische Untersuchung. [Note: German-language translation of a book originally published in Russian in 1907. The original Russian title was: Revelation in Storm and Tempest. The author believed that the Book of Revelation was based on events experienced during the day and night of 30th September, 395 CE. The events giving rise to the astronomical and astrological speculations were a thunderstorm and earthquake on the day of a solar eclipse and the course of the constellations during the night. Morosow further believed the author of the Book of Revelation was John Chrisostom, the future bishop of Constantinople. (Morosow also assumed that John Chrisostom was capable of calculating the Saros cycle.) Nikolaus Morosow (Nikolai Morozov) was a Russian poet, scientist (taught chemistry and astronomy at the University of Petrograd), and revolutionary. Life dates: 1854-1946.]
Nilsson, Martin. (1920; Reprinted 1960). "The Stars." In: Nilsson, Martin. Primitive Time-Reckoning. (Pages 109-146). [Note: Chapter IV of his book. Brief, world-wide coverage of star lore. See the (English-language) book reviews by William Rouse in The Classical Review, Volume XXXV, 1921, Page 31; by A. C. B. in Man, Volume XXII, 1922, Pages 31-32; by Gladys Reichard in American Anthropologist, Volume 24, 1922, Pages 381-383; and the (German-language) book review by Ludwig Borchardt in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, Achtundzwanzigster Jahrgang, 1925, Number 9/10, Columns 618-621.]
Normann, Friedrich. (1925). Mythen der Sterne. [Note: Comprehensive and world-wide in coverage but not always critical. See the (German-language) book review by Alfred Maaß in Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, 58 Jahrgang, 1926, Heft 1-2, Page 238.]
Nuttall, Zelia. (1901; Reprinted 1970). The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations. [Note: Originally published as Volume II of the "Archaeological and Ethnological Papers of the Peabody Museum, Harvard University. Zelia Nuttall (1857-1933) was an archaeologist and diffusionist, and became an honorary Professor of Anthropology at the National Museum of Mexico. In her book the author believes that astronomical parallels exist between ancient Near Eastern and American civilizations. The author is uncritical with her use of secondary sources and the book needs to be used with caution. See the (English-language) book review by Thomas Wilson in American Anthropologist, New Series, Volume 3, 1901, Pages 360-365. See the biographical obituary "Zelia Nuttall" by Alfred Tozzer in American Anthropologist, Volume 35, 1933, Pages 475-482; and also the biographical entry in "International Dictionary of Anthropologists," edited by Christopher Winters, (1991), Pages 513-514; and by Beverley Chiñas in "American National Biography," General editors, John Garraty and Mark Carnes, Volume 16, (1999), Pages 559-560. Life dates: 1857-1933.]
Oberhuber, Karl. (1977). (Editor). Das Gilgamesch-Epos. [Note: A marvelous collection of essays dating from 1903 to 1975. Included are essays which explore the astronomical interpretation of the Gilgamesh epic.]
Olcott, William. (1911; reprinted 2004). Star Lore of All Ages. [Note: Interesting but not always reliable. The author was a Lawyer who became interested in astronomy in 1905 and became an enthusiastic variable star observer in 1910. See the (English-language) obituary by Anon in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 97, (February, Number 4), November 1936 - October 1937, Pages 278-279. Life dates: 1873-1936.]
Olcott, William. (1914). Sun Lore of All Ages. [Note: Reprinted by Health Research in 1985 as a spiral-bound book.]
O'Neill, John (1893-1897; Reprinted circa 1995 and several times since). The Night of the Gods: An Inquiry into Cosmic and Cosmogonic Mythology and Symbolism. 2 Volumes. [Note: The author at his eccentric best. Useful, but needs to used with caution. The author was obsessed with explaining all world mythology and symbolism as referring to the revolution of the heavens around the celestial pole. Phyllis Ackerman considered this book to be an extension of the Jean Biot-Léopold de Saussure school of thought. Due to the authors sudden death volume 2 was basically an assembly of his rough notes edited and prepared for publication by James Hewitt (another eccentric astronomical mythologist). See John O'Neill's (English-language) obituary by his friend Gustave Schlegel in T'oung pao, Volume VI, 1895, Pages 77-78. See also the (English-language) book reviews by Gustave Schlegel of Volume 1 in T'oung pao, Volume IV, 1893, Pages 444-452; and Volume 2 in T'oung pao, Volume VIII, 1897, Pages 231-232; and of Volume 1 by William Newell in The Journal of American Folklore, Volume 7, Number 27, Oct.-Dec., 1894, Pages 328-329; and of Volume 2 by William Newell in The Journal of American Folklore, Volume 10, Number 37, Apr.-Jun., 1897, Pages 167-168. See also the (French-language) book review by N[?]. of Volume 1 in Revue de l'Histoire des Religions, 1895, Seizième Année, Tome Trente-Et-Unième, Pages 76-77. Life dates: 1837-1895.]
Peiser, Benny. (1996). "The cosmic symbolism of the Mesoamerican ballgame." In: Van der Merve, F[?]. (Editor). Sport and Symbols - Symbols and sport.
Pentikäinen, Juha. (1987). "The Shamanic Drum as Cognitive Map." In: Gothóni, René. and Pentikäinen, Juha. Mythology and Cosmic Order.
Pichon, Jean-Charles. (1963). Les Cycles du Retour Éternel: Essai d'une histoire thématique des religions. (2 Volumes). [Note: The author, a French occultist, argues for a common astronomical origin of religious themes based on an early zodiac. Life dates: 1920-?]
Plunket, Emmeline. (1906; Reprinted spiral bound by Ballantrae circa 1995). The Judgement of Paris and Some Other Legends Astronomically Considered. [Note: See the (English-language) book reviews by Anon in English Mechanic and World of Science, Number 2276, November 6, 1908, Page 319; by Anon in Notes and Queries, Tenth Series, Volume 11, June 26, 1909, Pages 520; by Harry [Harold] Hall in Nature, Number 2047, Volume 79, January 21, 1909, Page 335; and by Anon in The Athenæum, Number 4255, May 15, 1909, Page 589.]
Prinz, Hugo. (1915). Altorientalische Symbolik. [Note: Scholarly overview of both Egyptian and Babylonian astral symbolism. See the (German-language) book review by Hugo Gressmann in Theologische Literaturzeitung, Volume 40, Number 23, November, 1915, Columns 481-485.]
Quispel, Gilles. (1979). "Astrology." In: Quispel, Gilles. The Secret Book of Revelation. (Pages 21-24). [Note: The section "Astrology," is contained in the chapter "New Light on the Secret Revelation" of his book. Attempts a succinct and balanced summary. The author was a Catholic scholar.]
Reiner, Erica. (1995). Astral Magic in Babylonia. [Note: Excellent. See the (English-language) book reviews by Nick Veldhuis in Archiv für Orientforschung, Vierundvierzigster und Fünfundvierzigster Band, 1997/1998, Pages 417-419; and by Mark Geller in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, Volume 93, Numbers 4/5, 1998, Columns 455-458. Also, see the (English-language) book review by Wilfred Lambert in Journal of the American Oriental Society, Volume 119, Number 1, 1999, Page 140.]
Richer, Jean. (1994). The Sacred Geography of the Greeks. [Note: Speculative arguments for astrological alignments of classical Greek temples. Unreliable. Jean Richer was not a Hellenistic scholar. He was quite open that his viewpoint arose from "intuitive insight/perception." Some of his ideas actually came to him in his dreams about Apollo. His book (which originates from his conclusions formed in the 1950s) is simply speculative argument in the extreme. Part of the problem is his argument for a system of zodiacal projection being established circa 800 BCE. Needless to say there is no evidence that an evenly divided 12-constellation division of the ecliptic had been invented by the Babylonians at that date. Indeed the evidence indicates the contrary. He not only believed that Greece was saturated with zodiacal geometry but that the whole Mediterranean world was also saturated with zodiacal geometry. His brother Lucien Richer took up this aspect in his 1977 article (latter published as a pamphlet) "The St Michael-Apollo Axis: A Study in Sacred Geography." Life dates for Jean Richer: 1915-1992.]
Rougier, Louis. (1959). La Religion Astrale des Pythagoriciens.
Schadewaldt, Wolfgang. (1956). Griechische Sternsagen.
Schadewaldt, Wolfgang. (2002). Sternsagen die Mythologie der Sternbilder.
Schmid, Alfred. (2005). Augustus und die Macht der Sterne. Antike Astrologie und die Etablierung der Monarchie in Rom. [Note: Kindly brought to my attention by David Ross.]
Schultz, Wolfgang. (1912). Die Anschauung vom Monde und seinen Gestalten in Mythos und Kunst der Völker. [Note: A lunar interpretation of mythology and iconography. The author was a member of the German "star myth" school.]
Scott, Oral. (1942). The Stars in Myth and Fact. [Note: A popular survey. The author gives no indication of his sources.]
Shephard, Paul. and Sanders, Barry. (1985). The Sacred Paw: The Bear in Nature, Myth, and Literature. [Note: Contains excellent discussions of the constellations Ursa Major (Great Bear) and Ursa Minor (Little Bear).]
Siecke, Ernst. (1892). Die Liebesgeschichte des Himmels Untersuchungen zur indogermanischen Sagenkunde. [Note: This publication originated the German star-myth school which eventually resulted in Panbabylonism. The author was Professor of Philology at Lessing-gymnasium, Berlin.]
Siecke, Ernst. (1907; reprinted 1978). Drachenkämpf. Untersuchungen zur indogermanischen Sagenkunde. [Note: See the (French-language) book review in L'Année Sociologique, Tome XI 1906-1909, 1910, Pages 248-249.]
Siecke, Ernst. (1909). Götterattribute und sogenannte Symbole.
Smith, Earl. (1950; Reprinted 1971). The Dome: a Study in the History of Ideas. [Note: Discusses celestial aspects of the dome in early architecture.]
Smith, Earl. (1956). Architectural Symbolism of Imperial Rome and the Middle Ages. [Note: Discusses celestial aspects of the Ancient Near-Eastern city-gate concept. The manuscript was completed by the author when he was terminally ill. Ensure you refer to the 4 pages of Errata Corrige.]
Snodgrass, Adrian. (1990). Architecture, time and eternity: studies in the stellar and temporal symbolism of traditional buildings. (2 Volumes). [Note: This is a study of the stellar and temporal symbolism of traditional buildings. It is comprehensive in scope and spans from the generalities of the symbolism of time in general, to the temporal symbolism in Indian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern, Christian, Chinese, Islamic North American Indian, African, South American Indian and Mesoamerican architectures. Circa 2007 the author is Adjunct Professor, University of Western Sydney; Research Associate, University of Sydney. It appears the author was previously Professor of Architecture at University of Sydney (New South Wales, Australia).]
Soltysiak, Arkadiusz. (2003). "Betrayed lovers of Istar: A possible trace of the 8-Year cycle in Gilgames VI: i-iii." In: Blomberg, Mary., Blomberg, Peter., and Henriksson, Göran. (Editors). Calendars, Symbols, and Orientations: Legacies of Astronomy in Culture. (Pages 101-106). [Note: Proceedings of the 9th annual meeting of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture (SEAC), Stockholm, 27-30 August 2001.]
St. Clair, George. (1898). Creation Records Discovered in Egypt. [Note: As it is extremely difficult to obtain any biographical information on George St. Clair I have chosen to go into some detail here. Mainly because most authors who currently mention him completely misunderstand who he was. He was neither an Archaeologist or Egyptologist as some persons popularly maintain. George St. Clair (1836-1908) was born (according to Kathryn Crawford (a relative)) in Spirtalfields (= correctly Spitalfields) (London). (It has been stated that he was an orphan.) He appears to have originally been a Baptist (= non-conformist) minister who later in life, circa 1890 or earlier, became a Unitarian minister. (In becoming a Unitarian he was possibly influenced by Charles Dawson who had considerable sympathy for the Unitarian position. It is also indicated that it may also have originated from a doctrinal squabble with Baptist Church authorities.) He attended the Baptist College, Regent's Park and appears to have completed his studies there to become an ordained minister. In 1863, whilst still attending Regent's Park College, he married Emma Boden, the youngest daughter of John Boden (a Protestant nonconformist) of Shropshire. George St. Clair is indicated as being a Unitarian Minister at least by 1893 (see the brief mention of him in the Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals). (His article "Rational Views of Heaven and Hell" in Arena, Volume 5, 1892, has him designated as Rev. George St. Clair D.D. (In Victorian times the Doctor of Divinity was an advanced academic degree in divinity.) In the Census of United Kingdom 1881 he is listed as a Free Church Minister, Edward Street Chapel. In 1895 at least he was the minister at the Unitarian Free Christian Church, West Grove, Tredegarville, South East Wales (see: Kelley's Directory, South Wales, 1895). This church seated 150 persons. (He served as a church minister in Cardiff from 1891 to 1897.) In the Census of United Kingdom 1901 he is listed as a Clergyman. I cannot find him in any listing of 19th-century English Unitarian ministers (but at least one source (see above) specifically identifies him as a Unitarian minister). It would seem he only very rarely used his title.) It would appear he derived his basic income from his role as a minister and also from public lectures. (The earliest address indicated for him is Banbury, London, in 1868. The next address is Banbury, Oxfordshire, in 1869. It was the latter address from which he wrote a letter (in 1869) to Charles Darwin.) By 1875 he was living in Birmingham. (In one publication he gave his address as Bristol Komi, Birmingham.) When exactly and why he went to live in Birmingham, and eventually chose to leave there, is unclear. It is certain that in Birmingham he became the assistant to George Dawson in his ministry at the Church of the Saviour from 1875 to 1885. (In a 1881 publication and again in a 1886 publication he gave his address as 127 Bristol Road, Birmingham.) Until leaving Birmingham, circa 1895 or earlier, he appears to have retained his close connection with the cross-denominational Church of the Saviour in Edward Street, Birmingham, which was founded in 1847 by the charismatic Baptist pastor George Dawson (1821-1876). Following the death of his close friend George Dawson in 1876 he succeeded him as minister and regularly delivered weekly sermons at the Church of the Saviour throughout 1877. His sermons there continued through to (at least) 1883. (The Edward Street Church was closed "some years" after Dawson's death but I am not sure of the date. It was still open in 1882.) (George St. Clair was still presenting and writing on theological topics into circa the mid-1890s.) (After leaving Cardiff (and the active ministry?) in 1897 he then became an intermittent lecturer for 10 years for The Palestine Exploration Fund.) His wife Emma was also born in 1836(37?) (in Islington (London). Circa 1880 he resided in the Birmingham suburb of Edgbaston, Warwick(shire). (In the 1881 Census of the United Kingdom his Dwelling is given as: 61 Bristol Road; and his Census Place is given as: Edgbaston, Warwick, England. Jean Kelly has pointed out to me that Edgbaston is not connected with the town of Warwick which is some 40 kilometres away. It seems then that the census entry Warwick intends to mean Warwickshire County.) After leaving Birmingham he seems to have moved frequently. From 1891 to 1897 he was in Cardiff, south east Wales. Circa 1900, or earlier, he resided in Eastbourne, Sussex. At this time his son Oswald, who authored several books on economic issues, was residing (in Balham) and working in London as an Insurance Clerk. Oswald (born 1869 in Banbury, (Oxford[shire]) Oxon) later, after the death of his father in 1908, emigrated to South Africa. Between 1881 and 1889 his other son Norman (1863(66?)-1912, born in Birmingham (or Banbury, Oxford?), Warwick(shire)), who had studied architecture and worked as a Draughtsman in England, emigrated to the United States of America, and worked first as an Architect (in Boston, Denver, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco) and later as a watercolour Artist (primarily self-taught) after moving to Pasadena circa 1900.) George St. Clair made at least one trip to the United States of America (probably to visit Norman). He also had a daughter Ruth who was born in Bishopham, Norfolk, 1879; and it is indicated he had a second daughter Florence who was born in 1884. George St. Clair died at Balham, London, in 1908. (Several publications give his address as 16 Ryde Vale Road, Balham, London. One publication indicates this was his address at least since 1905.) At this time his wife Emma was possibly deceased and he was probably living in retirement in Oswald's house. A collection of his letters is held by the Southwest Museum (presumably in the Braun Research Library) in Pasadena, USA. From circa 1885 onwards George St. Clair directed much of his effort to his belief that ancient religions had an astronomical basis. He was possibly influenced by the appearance of Gerald Massey's two early books: A Book of the Beginnings (1881, 2 Volumes), and The Natural Genesis (1883, 2 Volumes). He became a close friend of Gerald Massey, who was a Poet, Spiritualist, and amateur Egyptologist. (See his "Gerald Massey as Egyptologist (I)" in The Theosophical Review (London), Volume 41, 1908, Page 511; and "Gerald Massey as Egyptologist (II)" in The Theosophical Review (London), Volume 42, 1908, Page 43.) George St. Clair helped Gerald Massey receive sufficient funding to enable the publication of Massey's final book Ancient Egypt (1907, 2 Volumes). As much as St. Clair disliked receiving bad reviews for his own books he critically reviewed Massey's Ancient Egypt (Literary Guide, 1 February, 1908, Pages 21-22) and complained about Massey's incompetence with philological renderings, particularly Massey's interpretation of Hebrew proper names. George St. Clair could basically be classed as a precessional mythologist. His later books on the origin of mythology are based on fundamentally mistaken ideas about calendars and the antiquity of the zodiac and have little value. He believed that the first calendars were invented circa 4,500 BCE and that the zodiac of 12 equal divisions also originated at the same time. His methodology, or lack of it, is mentioned in the article "Presidential Address: The Methods of Magic and of Science." by John Myers (Folklore, Volume 36, Number 1, March 31, 1925, Pages 15-47). (George St. Clair was a Fellow of the Geological Society, a Fellow of the Anthropological Society of London, a Member of the Society for Biblical Archaeology, a Member of the Anthropological Institute, for over a decade an authorised Lecturer for The Palestine Exploration Fund, and a Member of the Society of Authors. Between 1890 and 1907 he frequently contributed short articles to the Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement.) He is briefly mentioned on Page 587 (Volume 3 (sometimes stated as volume 2)) of "Old and New Birmingham" by Robert Dent (2nd Edition, 3 Volumes, 1880) regarding his role at Church of the Saviour in Edward Street, Birmingham. An obituary for him appeared in the Inquirer (London) (a Unitarian newspaper) 1908, Page 389. See also the record in the Essex Hall Year Book for 1909. See the (English-language) book reviews by Anon in Notes and Queries, Ninth Series, Volume 1, January-June, 1898, Pages 499-500; by Anon in Nature, Volume LVIII, August 4, 1898, Pages 315-316); and by Anon in Folklore, Volume X [sometimes given as XLIV], Number 1, March, 1899, Pages 109-110; and the authors reply in Folklore, Volume X, Number 2, June, 1899, Pages 246-248; and the (French-language) book review by (the Egyptologist) Gaston Maspero in Revue de l'Histoire des Religions, Vingtième Année, Tome Quarantième, 1899, Pages 124-126.]
St. Clair, George. (1901). The Myths of Greece. (2 Volumes). [Note: See the (English-language) book review by Anon in Folklore, Volume XII [sometimes given as XLVIII], Number 3, September, 1901, Pages 362-364; and the authors reply in Folklore, Volume XII [sometimes given as XLVIII], Number 4, December, 1901, Pages 469-471.]
St. Clair, George. (1907). The Secret of Genesis. [Note: See the (English-Language) book review by Stanley Cook in The Journal of Theological Studies, Volume IX, 1908, Pages 455-456.]
Stegemann, Viktor. (1930). Astrologie und Universalgeschichte: Studien und Interpretationen zu den Dionysiaka des Nonnos von Panopolis.
Steinkeller, Piotr. (2005). "Of Stars and Men: The Conceptual and Mythological Setup of Babylonian Extispicy." In: Gianto, Agustinus. (Editor). Biblical and Oriental Essays in Memory of William L. Moran. (Pages11-47). [Note: Brilliant essay on the nature of Babylonian extispicy. Some discussion of constellations and star names.]
Stol, M[?]. (1992). "The Moon as Seen by the Babylonians." In: Meijer, Diederik. (Editor). Natural Phenomena: Their Meaning, Depiction and Description in the Ancient Near East. (Pages 245-277). [Note: A conference paper originally presented in 1989.]
Staal, Julius. (1988). The New Patterns in the Sky: Myths and Legends of the Stars. [Note: A revised edition of the authors "Patterns in the Sky." (1961).]
Stucken, Eduard. (1907, limited edition reprint (100 copies) 1995). Astralmythen: Religiongeschichtliche untersuchungen. [Note: The author was a principal proponent of Panbabylonism. The book's 5 chapters were originally published in 5 parts between 1896 and 1907. The author attempts to argue his case, that all mythology has an astronomical basis, by defining myths by their motifs. He was criticized for knowing no restraint for his ideas. Life dates: 1865-1936. See the (German-language) book reviews by Carl Niebuhr in Orientalistische Literatur-zeitung, 1 Jahrgang, April, Number 4, Columns 114-118; Alfred Bertholet in Theologische Literaturzeitung, Volume 33, Number 8, April, 1908, Columns 230-233; and the (French-language) book reviews by H[?]. H[?]. and M[?]. M[?]. in L'Année Sociologique, Tome VI, Sixieme Année 1901-1902, 1903, Pages 261-263; and H[?]. H[?]. in L'Année Sociologique, Tome XI 1906-1909, 1910, Page 247. Also see the critical (French-language) article "Fantaisies biblico-mythologiques d'un chef d'école." by Emmanuel Cosquin in Revue Biblique, Nouvelle Série, Deuxième Année, Number 1, Janvier, 1905, Pages 5-38. The book is to be reprinted by George Olms Verlag circa 2008.]
Temple, Robert. (1991). He Who Saw Everything. [Note: The author attempts to show that the Gilgamesh epic is actually astronomical mythology.]
Ungnad, Arthur.and Gressmann, Hugo. (1911). Das Gilgamesh-Epos. [Note: An important study at the time of its publication. Includes a lengthy discussion of possible astronomical elements in the Gilgamesh epic. See the (German-language) book review by H[ugo?] G[ressmann?] in Revue d'Assyriologie, Volume VIII, Number 3, 1911, Pages 159-160.]
Ungnad, Arthur. (1923). Das wiedergefundene Paradies. [Note: The author, an Assyriologist, holds that l-Iku (the Pegasus-square = alpha beta gamma Pegasi and alpha Andromedae) enclosed by the constellation Pisces is "Paradise" i.e., the primordial field.]
Voegelin, Eric. (1956; reprinted 1958, 1969, & new edition 2001 with introduction by Maurice Hogan). Order and History, Volume 1: Israel and Revelation. [Note: The project was to be completed in 6 volumes but it appears that only 5 volumes were issued. Part 1 of Volume 1 (as well as other parts of this volume) deals with the cosmological basis of the political ordering of ancient near eastern civilizations. Life dates: 1901-1985.]
Wilk, Stephen. (2000). Medusa: Solving the Mystery of the Gorgon. [Note: Controversial and largely ignored book that presents a poorly argued case for a variable star interpretation of the Medusa myth. Only a few persons bothered to review it. See the supportive (English-language) book review by Philip Morrison in the Journal for the History of Astronomy, Volume 32, Part 1, February 2001, Number 106, Pages 88-90. Stephen Wilk is a physicist.]
Wood, Florence. and Wood, Kenneth. (1999). Homer's Secret Iliad: The Epic of the Night Skies Decoded. [Note: An astronomical interpretation of the Iliad that attempts to push its content back to circa 8000 BCE. Argues for an early equally divided 12-constellation zodiac, and Greek mythology embodying knowledge of precession. Inaccurate on basic issues and quite speculative. For a whole different line of speculation see: The Iliad as Politics by Dean Hammer (2002). An outstanding recent study, that clarifies its indebtedness to West Semitic myth, is The Iliad: Structure, Myth, and Meaning by Bruce Louden (2006).]
Worthen, Thomas. (1991). The Myth of Replacement: Stars, Gods and Order in the Universe. [Note: Similar in speculation to the tenets of "Hamlet's Mill," by Giorgio De Santillana and Hertha von Dechend (1969). See the (English-language) book reviews by Anon in Scientific American, September, 1991, Volume 265, Number 3, Page 136; and by Raymond Mercier in Journal for the History of Astronomy, Volume 23, 1992, Pages 303-305.]
Articles/Entries:
Ackerman, Phyllis. (1953). "The Symbolic Sources of Some Architectural Elements." (The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Volume 12, Number 4, December, Pages 3-7). [Note: The author discusses cosmological themes in early architecture.]
Albright, William. (1918). "Historical and Mythical Elements in the Story of Joseph." (Journal of Biblical Literature, Volume 37, Numbers 3/4, Pages 111-143).
Bajoni, Maria. (2004). "Gli Astronomica di Manilio come rappresentazione politica dello spazio celeste." (Latomus Revue d'Études Latines, Tome 63, Pages 98-106).
Berezkin, Yuri. (2005). "Cosmic Hunt: Variants of Siberian - North American Myth." (Folklore [= Electronic Journal of Folklore], Volume 31, December, Pages 79-100). [Note: Excellent lengthy article with extensive bibliography.]
Borgeaud, Philippe. (1983). "The Death of Great Pan: The Problem of Interpretation." (History of Religions, Volume 22, Number 3, February, Pages 254-283). [Note: The author considers several astronomical interpretations.]
Brendel. Otto. (1936). "Der Schild des Archilles." (Die Antike, Volume 12, Pages 272-288).
Brett, George. (1926). "Astronomical Symbolism." (The Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Volume XX, Numbers 9-10, November-December, Whole Number 160, Pages 335-350). [Note: The contents of the article are wide-ranging but lack any real detail or depth. George Brett (1879-1944) was a lecturer in the Psychology Department at the University of Toronto, Canada. He was the author of the highly acclaimed work The History of Psychology (3 Volumes).]
Burrow, Ian. (1975). "Star-spangled Avalon: the Glastonbury Zodiac." (Popular Archaeology, Volume 4, Number 8, Pages 28-31). [Note: A definitive debunking of Katherine Maltwood's fantasy of an ancient terrestrial zodiac marked out by shaping of landscape features around the town of Glastonbury, England. Ian Burrow is an archaeologist.]
de Callataÿ, Godefroid. (1996). "The Knot of the Heavens." (The Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Volume 59, Pages 1-13).
Carrington, Phillip. (1931). "Astral Mythology in Revelation." (Anglican Theological Review, Volume 13, Pages 289-305). [Note: Phillip Carrington was the Anglican Archbishop of Quebec. Life dates: 1892-?]
Casanova, Paul. (1902). "De quelques Légendes astronomiques Arabes, considérées dans leurs rapports avec la Mythologie Egyptienne." (Bulletin de L'Institut français d'archéologie orientale - Le Caire, Issue 2, Pages 1-39).
Clarke, Hyde. (1878). "On the Relations Between Pasht, the Moon, and the Cat, in Egypt." (Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, Volume 6, Pages 316-322).
Crossen, Craig. and Procházka, Stephan. (2007). "The Seven Sleepers and Ancient Constellation Traditions - a Crossover of Arabic Dialectology with the History of Astronomy." (Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes, Band 97, Pages 79-106).
Culver, Roger. and macDonald, David. (1989). "An Astronomical Interpretation of Caracalla's Shield." (The Ancient history Bulletin, Volume 3, Number 1, Pages 18-24). [Note: Identification of the Supernova of CE 185 which was brighter than Venus, easily seen in daylight, and lasted 7-8 months.]
Daressy, Georges. (1915). "L'Egypte Céleste." (Bulletin de L'Institut français d'archéologie orientale du Caire, numéro 12, Pages 1-34). [Note: A discussion of late Egyptian celestial geography. For a short English-language discussion of the article see "Egyptian Astronomy and the Zodiac," by Joseph Clifford (Nature, Volume XCVIII, September 1916 to February 1917, Number 2445, September 7, Pages 7-8).]
Dorson, Richard. (1955). "The Eclipse of Solar Mythology." (Journal of American Folklore, Volume 68, Pages 393-416). [Note: Detailed and competent study by a professional folklorist.]
Edwards, Richard. (1954). "The Cave Reliefs at Ma Hao." (Artibus Asiae, Volume 17, Number 1, Pages 4-28). [Note: The author refers to the astral ideas of John O'Neill to make some interpretations of the iconography.]
Eisler, Robert. (1926). "Joshua and the Sun." (The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Volume 42, Number 2, January, Pages 73-85).
Estey, F[?]. (1943). "Charlemagne's Silver Celestial Table." (Speculum, Volume 18, Number 1, January, Pages 112-117).
Faulkner, Raymond. (1966). "The King and the Star-religion in the Pyramid Texts." (Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Volume XXV, Pages 153-161).
Fischer, Claudia. (2002). "Twilight of the Sun-God." (Iraq, Volume LXIV, Pages 125-134). [Note: An interesting analysis of certain cylinder seals.]
Griffith, J[?]. (1964/1965). "The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven (Genesis xxviii. 12 and 17)." (The Expository Times, Volume 76, October 1964-September 1965, Pages 229-230).
Haekel, Josef. (1957). "Astralmythologie." In: Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche (Erster Band, Columns 963-964).
Hardie, Philip. (1985). Imago Mundi: Cosmological and Ideological Aspects of the Shield of Archilles." (Journal of Hellenic Studies, Volume CV, Pages 11-31).
Herringham, Christiana. (1908). "Notes on Oriental Carpet Patterns - II." (The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Volume 14, Number 68, November, Pages 84+87-89+92-94). [Note: The author refers to the astral ideas of John O'Neill to make some interpretations of the iconography. The entire article appeared in 6 parts; 5 parts in Volume 14 and 1 part in Volume 15.]
Herringham, Christiana. (1909). "Notes on Oriental Carpet Patterns - IV." (The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, Volume 14, Number 70, January, Pages 218+223-225+228-230). [Note: The author refers to the astral ideas of John O'Neill to make some interpretations of the iconography.]
Herzfeld, Ernst. (1933). "Mythos und Geschichte." (Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran, Volume 1-2, Pages 1-100). [Note: I have not sighted this article. It seems that Volume 4 was published in 1932 and Volume 7 was published in 1934. There is a possibility that the correct reference is: Volume 6, 1934, Pages 1-109. ]
Hodges, Horace. (1997). "Gnostic Liberation from Astrological Determinism: Hipparchan "Trepidation" and the Breaking of Fate." (Vigiliae Christianae: A Review of Early Christian Life and Language, Volume LI [Volume 51], Number 4, November, Pages 359-373). [Note: The author argues that at least some Gnostic sects used Hipparchus's discovery of the precession of the equinoxes as evidence of a benevolent force (a soteriological god) intervening in the world to successfully shift the zodiacal sphere to break the bonds of astrological fate and release the Gnostic elect from the power of the cosmos and its creator.]
Hommel, Fritz. (1909). "The Constellations of the Apocalypse." (The Expository Times, Volume 20, October 1908 - September 1909 (June, 1909), Pages 426-427).
Hommel, Fritz. (1928). "Die <<zwei verschwundenen Götter>> der Adapa-Legende und Apokalypse 11, 3-13" (Altorientalische Studien Bruno Meissner zum Sechzigsten Geburtstag, Mitteilungen der Altorientalischen Gesellschaft, Band IV, Heft 1-2, Volume 1, Pages 87-95). [Note: Festschrift für Bruno Meissner, 2 Volumes, 1928-1929, (Reprinted 1972).]
Hugo Figulla in Archiv für Orientforschung, Siebenter Band, 1931-1932, Pages 192-193; and by Ferdinand Bork in Orientalistische Literaturzeitung, Vierunddreissigster Jahrgang, Number 2, 1931, Columns 136-144. Life dates: 1864-1935.]
Jairazbhoy, Rafique. (1961). "The Taj Mahal in the Context of East and West: A Study in the Comparative Method." (Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Volume 24, Numbers 1/2, January-June, Pages 59-88). [Note: The author is an educationalist and an authority on architecture. The article frequently mentions astral themes and symbolism in architecture from ancient Babylonia through to the Islamic period.]
Jensen, Peter. (1928). "Astralmythen." In: Reallexikon der Assyriologie (Erster Band, Pages 305-309). [Note: The author was was a noted Assyriologist and also a radical Panbabylonist.]
Kákosy. László. (1981). "The Astral Snakes of the Nile." (Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Abteilung Kairo, Volume 37, Pages 255-260).
Kákosy. László. (1982). "Decans in Late-Egyptian Religion." (Oikumene, Volume 3, Pages 163-191).
Kákosy. László. (2001). "Astral Mythology in Egypt." (Akadémiai Kiadó, Volume 40, Numbers 1-4, Pages 213-216).
Kaye, George. (1920). "Hindu Astronomical Deities." (Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume 16, New Series, Pages 57-77). [Note: The author had an expert knowledge of Hindu astronomy.]
Knobloch, Eberhard. (1981). "Antike Sternsagen." (Sterne und Weltraum, Band 19, Pages 232-238, and 338-343).
Krupp, Ed. (1998). "Celestial Kings." (Sky and Telescope, Volume 96, Number 5, November, Pages 92-94).
Krupp, Ed. (2000). "Whiter Shade of Pale." (Sky and Telescope, Volume 100, Number 1, July, Pages 86-88). [Note: Deals with the lore of the Milky Way.]
Kugler, Franz. (1904). "Die Sternenfahrt des Gilgamesch. Kosmologische Würdigung des babylonischen Nationalepos." (Stimmen aus Maria-Laach, Band XXVI, Part 1: Pages 432-449; Part 2: Pages 547-561). [Note: An examination of the Gilgamesh epic as astronomical mythology by a pioneer of our understanding of Babylonian astronomy. Kugler later repudiated the ideas he had expressed in the article.]
Kuperjanow, Andres. (2002) "Names in Estonian Folk Astronomy - From 'Bird's Way' to 'Milky Way'." (Folklore [= Electronic Journal of Folklore], Volume 22, Pages 49-61).
Landsberger, Benno. (1923). "Ein astralmythologischer Kommentar aue der Spätzeit babylonischer Gelehrsamkeit." (Archiv für Keilschriftforschung, Erster Band, Pages 43-48). [Note: The author was a recognized authority on ancient Mesopotamia.]
Lehmann, Karl. (1945). "The Dome of Heaven." (The Art Bulletin, Volume 27, Number 1, March, Pages 1-27).
Lehmann-Nitsche, Robert. (1926). "Aus ethnologischen Sternbilderstudien." (Philologus, Band LXXXI, (N. F. Band XXXV), Pages 202-207).
Lehmann-Nitsche, Robert. (1934). "Der apokalyptische Drache. Eine astralmythologische Untersuchung über Ap Joh 12." (Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, Fünfundsechzigster Jahrgang, 1933, Heft 4/6, Pages 193-230).
Long, Eleanor. (1984). "How the Dog Got Its Days: A Skeptical Inquiry into Traditional Star and Weather Lore." (Western Folklore, Volume 43, Number 4, October, Pages 256-264). [Note: Excellent.]
Makemson, Maud. (1954). "Astronomy in Primitive Religion." (The Journal of Bible and Religion, Volume XXII, Number 3, Pages 163-171). [Note: The author was an American astronomer.]
Murray, Margaret. (1906). "The Astrological Character of the Egyptian Magical Wand." (Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, January - December, Volume 28, Pages 33-43). [Note: The author eventually became a noted Egyptologist and historian. However, not all of her ideas gained general acceptance. Her ideas on the origins of European witchcraft have been thoroughly demolished. This particular article is unreliable.]
Newell, William. (1900). "The Bear in Hellenic Astral Mythology." (Journal of American Folk-Lore, Volume 13, Pages 147-149).
Ramsay, William. and Lepsius, Johannes. (1911). "The Symbolic Language of the Apocalypse." (The Expositor, Eighth Series, Volume 1. Pages 160-180, 210-230, 375-380, 461-475, & 504-519). [Note: Dual articles with William Ramsay offering critical comment to an article by Johannes Lepsius (translated by Helena Ramsay) on an astronomical interpretation of the New Testament "Book of Revelation." Pages 210-230, 461-475, & 504-519 are headed "The Symbolic language of the Revelation." Johannes Lepsius (1858-1926) was a German professor of religious studies.]
Rochberg, Francesca. (2007). "Marduk in Heaven." (Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes, Band 97, Pages 433-442).
Roth, Ann. (1993). "Fingers, Stars, and the 'Opening of the Mouth': The Nature and Function of the NTRWJ-blades." (The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Volume 79, Pages 57-79).
Saul, John. (1989-1993). ""As it Is Above, So Shall it Below": the Blueprint of Civilization." (Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of the Center for Archaeoastronomy, Volume XI, Pages 104-107). [Note: Interesting but speculative. Influenced by the ideas in the book "Hamlet's Mill." However, several sources relied on by the author are unreliable. The ideas in the article have now been expanded into a book-length manuscript.]
St. Clair, George. (1901). "Pasht and the Sed Festival." (Proceedings of the Society of Biblical archaeology, January - December, Volume 23, Pages 225-229).
Shokoohy, Mehrdad. (1994). "Sasanian Royal Emblems and Their Reemergence in the Fourteenth-Century Deccan." (Muqarnas, Volume 11, Pages 65-78). [Note: Deals with astral symbols in royal emblems.]
Strong, S[andford]., Arthur. Mrs. [= Sellers, Eugénie]. (1916). "A Bronze bust of a Iulio-Claudian Prince (? Caligula) in the Museum of Colchester; with a Note on the Symbolism of the Globe in Imperial Portraiture." (The Journal of Roman Studies, Volume VI, Pages 27-46). [Note: The globe in imperial portraiture is identified as having a celestial significance. The author was at the British School at Athens prior to 1914, and was later Assistant director of the British School at Rome.]
Sullivan, Lawrence. (1983). "Astral Myths Rise Again: Interpreting Religious Astronomy." (Criterion, Volume 22, Number 1, Winter, Pages 12-21). [Note: Well researched article. Unfortunately the author does not reference his sources.]
Wainwright, Gerald. (1932). "Letopolis." (The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Volume XVIII, Pages 159-172).
Wainwright, Gerald. (1936). "Orion and the Great Star." (The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Volume XXII, Pages 45-46).
Walters, H[?]. (1892-1893) "Poseidon's Trident." (The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Volume 13, Pages 13-20). [Note: The author refers to the astral ideas of John O'Neill to make some interpretations of the iconography.]
Weidner, Ernst. (1925). "Das Paradies am Sternenhimmel." (Archiv für Keilschriftforschung, Zweiter Band, Heft 3-4, Pages 124-130).
Weinstock, Stefan. (1949). "Lunar Mansions and Early Calendars." (Journal of Hellenic Studies, Volume 69, Pages 48-69).
West, Martin. (1980). "The Midnight Planet." (The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Volume 100, Centennary Issue, Pages 206-208).
Zimmern, Heinrich. (1892). "Der Jakobssegen und der Tierkreis." (Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und Verwandte Gebiete, Siebenter Band, Pages 161-172).
Books/Pamphlets:
Boll, Franz. (1950). (Edited by Victor Stegemann). Kleine Schriften zur Sternkunde des Altertums. [Note: A valuable collection of the authors major (and now difficult to access) articles. See the (English-language) book reviews by Stefan Weinstock in The Journal of Roman Studies, Volume XLI, 1951, Page 167; and Arthur Nock in Gnomon, Band 24, Heft 3, 1952, Pages 162-163; and the (German-language) book reviews by W[?]. Foerster in Theologische Literaturzeitung, Volume 79, Number 11, November 1954, Column 684; and by Karl Jax in Anzeiger für die Altertumswissenschaft, VII Band, 1954, Columns 106-107.]
de Callataÿ, Godefroid. (1996). Annus Platonicus: A Study of World Cycles in Greek, Latin and Arabic Sources. [Note: The best book on the subject of the "World Year."]
Evans, James. (1998). The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy. [Note: An excellent general study. See the (English-language) book reviews by Hugh Thurston in DIO, Volume 8, Number 1-2, November, 1998, Pages 36-41; Benno van Alen in Isis, Volume 91, Number 3, September 2000, Pages 580-581; and James Voelkel in Journal for the History of Astronomy, Volume 32, 2001, Pages 82-84.]
Manuel, Frank. (1963). Isaac Newton Historian. [Note: Includes a two chapter discussion of Isaac Newton's investigations into the origin of the Greek constellations.]
Zinner, Ernst. (1931). Die Geschichte der Sternkunde von den Ersten Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. [Note: A world-wide general history that includes discussions of constellations, star names, and star lore. The author was an expert on the history of astronomy but the book has its critics. See the critical (German-language) book review by Alexander Pogo in Isis, Volume XVI, 1931, Pages 161-167. See also the (English-language) book review by C. A. C. in Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Volume 25, Number 2, 1931, Pages 84-85. Ernst Zinner was Director of the Remeis Observatory, Bamberg. See the (German-language) obituary by Diedrich Wattenberg in Astronomische Nachrichten, Band 293, Heft 1-2, 1971, Pages 79-80. Life dates: 1886-1970.]
Articles/Entries:
Gundel, Wilhelm. and Gundel Hans. (1950). "Planeten." In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft. (Volume XX, Part 2, Columns 2017-2185).
Jones, F[?]. (1908). "The Ancient Year and the Sothic Cycle." (Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, January - December, Volume 30, Pages 95-106 (plus 4 plates)).
Palter, Walter. (1993). "Black Athena, Afro-centrism, and the History of Science." (History of Science, Volume 31, Pages 227-287). [Note: Contains an interesting discussion of Egyptian astronomy.]
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