The appearance of a comet in the first century BC would have led Hellenistic astrologers or laymen to expect the death of a king rather than the birth of a king. As the Magi may have been following Babylonian astrology, it is pertinent to ask what Babylonian astrology taught about comets. While vast numbers of cuneiform tablets have been found, relatively few from any period give astrological interpretations, and very few refer to comets. But two examples from the seventh century before Christ do