The Sumerians
A culture who knew the fate in their stars
Sumerians laid the basis for all astronomy to follow
Sumeria was an early culture based on agriculture which depended on knowing when to plant and harvest. The civilization relied on priest/astrologer's knowledge of the motion of celestial objects to predict the seasons and lunar cycles. These scientific observations were mixed with religion and superstition, but laid the foundation for Babylonian and Greek astronomers.
Astronomical themes appeared in other accomplishments
Ziggurats
Named for the Sumerian word for "high," ziggurats were shrines to the local god at the center of each city. Craftsmen and academics associated the the temple lived in the levels of the structure with traders and agricultural tracts surrounding. The priest/astrologers were powerful advisers.
Cunieform writing
The Sumerians are credited with the oldest written language in the world which dates to about 5,000 BCE. The letters evolved from pictographs and numbered in the hundreds to record trade, livestock inventory, and celestial events.
Zodiac constellations
Sumerians developed constellations as celestial patterns that correlated with seasons. Celestial bodies were both scientifically observed for agricultural purposes for sowing and harvesting as well as being part of religious celebrations. Both practices were inherited by later cultures,
Ancient Sumeria
In Mesopotamia , about 10,000 years ago, the oldest records of astronomy root in the culture of Sumer, located in the lower part of the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in present-day Iraq.