Life
Ptolemy worked in Alexandria under Roman rule and was one of antiquity's most influential astronomers, mathematicians and geographers; his Almagest set out the geocentric model used for over a thousand years. In the Tetrabiblos he organized the astrology of his day into a reasoned system, explaining celestial influence through the natural philosophy of the elements and the qualities hot, cold, wet and dry, and distinguishing mundane astrology (peoples and places) from natal astrology (individual charts).
The system
- Astrology grounded in natural philosophy (elements and qualities).
- The division into mundane and natal astrology.
- A systematic account of planets, signs, places and aspects.
Key works
- Tetrabiblos
- Almagest
- Geography
Where to start
- F. E. Robbins, trans., Tetrabiblos (Loeb Classical Library); begin with Book I.
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