I would agree with you that the tropical zodiac is the primary one, if only for its relation to the seasons. In fact, I would go further and say it is the only one that matters in any significant way until we go through a change in ages.Mersenne wrote:Zodiacs
I suspect, and would like to suggest, the following. The tropical zodiac is the primary one, and that, 4000 years ago when this coincided with the sidereal, the fixed stars were employed as handy (but, as it turned out) temporary markers of the tropical signs.
Ages
Some 4000 years ago the sidereal and tropical zodiacs coincided; the start of the tropical zodiac (sign of Aries) lay on the beginning of the sidereal zodiac (constellaton of the Ram) and so this was the "Age of Aries".
I haven't found any conclusive evidence that significance can be attributed to the ages. It is sometimes noted, for instance, that Christianity's early symbol was the fish, and that Jesus' life coincided with the start of the "Age of Pisces". However, the fish as "vesica pisces" was before this attributed to the Mother Goddess, and this throughout the majority of prehistory. Spirituality didn't just happen with the incursion of the Spring Equinox into Pisces, and it won't dissappear when it leaves.
The tropical and sidereal zodiacs did not coincide about 4000 years ago but rather around 200 BC. 4000 years ago the Sun would be at about 3 h 34 m RA and +19 d 13 m in epoch 2000.0 coordinates. Look at a star map. If you were born within a month after the spring equinox back then the Sun would have been in Taurus rather than Aries.
Yet I would guess that even back then Taurus would have probably been considered something like an earth as opposed to a fire sign. If the constellation of Pisces has always been associated with water, which seems reasonable, then the sign of Pisces must have been in another house than the twelth in any age other than the Age of Pisces. This is why I suppose there are 'time zones' as we go through the ages.
I would say that the ages do have quite some significance. Does it seem coincidental that the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages were concurrent with the Age of Taurus, which has copper as its metal? And that those were followed by the Age of Iron, which was concurrent with the Age of Aries, which has iron as its metal?