The Zodiac Sign Names in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q318): Features and Questions

The Aramaic zodiac in the Dead Sea Scrolls, contained in 4Q318 Zodiac Calendar and Brontologion, found in Cave 4 at Qumran, has similarities and differences to Babylonian and Hellenistic zodiacs. This information may help to identify the cultural influences in the Aramaic version in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the only extant such zodiac from an ancient primary source. This paper will show how 4Q318 Zodiac Calendar functions both in relation to the Jewish calendar and to the Babylonian calendar. Using data from Rochberg’s Babylonian Horoscopes, it will demonstrate empirically why the text should be regarded not as Mesopotamian or Hellenistic, but as a Jewish zodiac calendar.