Long before Western astrology, the Chinese zodiac helped organize years, beliefs, and social life. Here’s how the system of 12 animals evolved over the centuries.

In Chinese tradition, each year is represented by one of 12 zodiac animals: The rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ...

This is the first of a two-part series on traditional Chinese zodiac. When archaeologists back in 2017 discovered that semicircle-enclosed crab and ram-horn motifs had appeared on bronze mirrors ...