In this episode of Midnight, On Earth, I sit down with bestselling British author and historical investigator Graham Phillips to explore his latest book, 'The Original Zodiac: What Ancient Astrology Reveals About You'.
Our conversation dives deep into a forgotten chapter of astrological history - The discovery of the earliest known zodiac system, which contained eighteen signs rather than the twelve most people are familiar with today.
Phillips explains how the roots of astrology stretch back to ancient Mesopotamia, emerging from the same mysterious cultural horizon that produced monumental sites like Göbekli Tepe. In those early systems, astrology appears to have functioned through generations of observation, almost like a form of reverse engineering. Instead of starting with a rigid symbolic framework, early astrologers observed patterns in human behavior, personality traits, and life outcomes, then connected those traits back to the time, place, and conditions of a person’s birth. Over centuries, these observations became encoded into symbolic archetypes that eventually formed the earliest zodiac signs.
At the center of Phillips’ research is a mysterious clay tablet held in the British Museum, cataloged as BM 86378. The artifact lists an ancient zodiac system composed of eighteen constellations, many of which are completely absent from the modern Western and Vedic zodiacs. Instead of only the familiar signs, this earlier sky map included figures such as the Serpent, Swan, Crane, Horse, Wolf, and Eagle—symbols that suggest a very different way of interpreting cosmic influence and human identity.
Because the tablet preserved the names of the constellations but not their meanings, Phillips attempted to reconstruct the psychological and behavioral traits associated with each sign. Through an extensive survey of hundreds of volunteers from different backgrounds, he analyzed patterns in personality, interests, occupations, habits, and even health tendencies. From this data, he began to piece together what the original zodiac may have signified thousands of years ago.
During our conversation we explore how this eighteen-sign system offers an expanded lens through which to view astrology - not as a replacement for the familiar twelve-sign zodiac, but as a deeper layer of symbolic understanding. Phillips explains how the ancient framework may enrich our interpretation of personality, relationships, and destiny by adding additional archetypes that were gradually lost as astrology evolved through later Greek, and Vedic traditions.
We also discuss the broader historical mystery surrounding the origins of astrology itself, the possibility that these systems emerged from extremely ancient sky-watching cultures, and how early civilizations attempted to map human experience onto the movements of the heavens.
Along the way we touch on archaeology, myth, ancient symbolism, and the enduring human quest to understand who we are and how the cosmos might shape our lives.
It’s a wide-ranging exploration of forgotten astrology, ancient civilizations, and the archetypal patterns that have guided human thinking about the stars for thousands of years. Drop in!
www.grahamphillips.net
Graham Phillips Bio:
Graham Phillips is one of Britain’s bestselling non-fiction authors. A former radio journalist and broadcaster for the BBC, and founder of Strange Phenomena magazine, he is a historical investigator of unsolved mysteries. The author of many books, including The Templars and the Ark of the Covenant, The Lost Tomb of King Arthur, The End of Eden, and Atlantis and the Ten Plagues of Egypt, Graham lives in the Midlands of England.