Reconstruction of Ptolemaic Terms

1
1. Order:
Aries
Jupiter is first because of triangle
Venus is second because of house and triangle in Taurus
Mercury is third because of house and triangle in Gemini
Mars is fourth because of house
Saturn is fifth

Taurus
Venus is first because of triangle and house
Mercury is second because of house and triangle in Gemini
Jupiter is third because it is benefic
Saturn is fourth because it has triangle in Gemini
Mars is fifth

Gemini
Mercury is first because of triangle and house
Jupiter is second because of exaltation in Cancer
Venus is third because it is benefic
Saturn is fourth because of triangle in the same sign
Mars is fifth

Cancer
Mars is first because of triangle and house
Jupiter is second because of exaltation
Mercury is third because of exaltation and house in Virgo
Venus is fourth because of triangle in Virgo
Saturn is fifth

Leo
Jupiter is first because of triangle
Mercury is second because of exaltation and house in Virgo
Venus is third because of triangle in Virgo
Saturn is fourth because of house
Mars is fifth

Virgo
Mercury is first because of exaltation and house
Venus is second because of triangle
Jupiter is third because it is benefic
Saturn is fourth because of exaltation and triangle in Libra
Mars is fifth

Libra
Saturn is first because of exaltation and triangle
Mercury is second because of triangle
Venus is third because of house
Jupiter is fourth because it is benefic
Mars is fifth

Scorpio
Mars is first because of triangle and house
Jupiter is second because of triangle and house in Sagittarius
Venus is third because of triangle in Capricorn
Mercury is fourth because it is common
Saturn is fifth

Sagittarius
Jupiter is first because of triangle and house
Venus is second because of triangle in Capricorn
Mercury is third because of triangle in Aquarius
Mars is fourth because of exaltation in Capricorn the following sign
Saturn is fifth

Capricorn
Venus is first because of triangle
Mercury is second because of triangle in Aquarius
Jupiter is third because it is benefic
Mars is fourth because of exaltation in the same sign
Saturn is fifth

Aquarius
Saturn is first because of house and triangle
Mercury is second because of triangle
Venus is third because of exaltation in Pisces
Jupiter is fourth because it is benefic
Mars is fifth

Pisces
Venus is first because of exaltation
Jupiter is second because of house
Mercury is third because it is common
Mars is fourth because it has house in Aries
Saturn is fifth

In this way, the order of the following signs was consistently followed, in accord with the instructions by Ptolemy. Some are misled by the statement ''And again in order, those that have two lordships each are preferred to the one which has but one in the same sign'' to assign the malefics differently (for example Mars before Saturn in Gemini or after Saturn in Capricorn), but they do not follow the instruction of the order of following signs of the previous sentence. This instruction seems to refer to Cancer and Leo where Mercury has one more familiarity than Venus. Thus six terms end with Saturn, and six terms end with Mars, two with beginnings.

2. Assign + 1 degree to those that have two familiarities in one of the signs of a quadrant:
Saturn receives 6 in Leo, Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius
Jupiter receives 8 in Libra, Capricorn and Sagittarius
Mars receives 6 in Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Libra and Scorpio
Venus receives 8 in Aries, Taurus and Pisces
Mercury receives 7 in Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo and Virgo

3. Assign the remaining degrees accordingly, subtracting from the slowest whenever possible:
In Aries, we subtract 1 from Saturn and 1 from Jupiter
In Taurus, we subtract 2 from Saturn and 1 from Jupiter
In Gemini, we subtract 1 from Saturn and 1 from Jupiter
In Cancer, we subtract 2 from Saturn
In Leo, we subtract 1 from Jupiter and 1 from Venus
(Mars gets 5 in all his remaining terms for 66 - 36 = 30 : 5 degrees = 6 equal terms)
In Virgo, we subtract 2 from Jupiter and 1 from Venus
In Libra, we subtract 2 from Venus and 1 from Mercury (those have one, but Venus is slower)
In Scorpio, we subtract 2 from Saturn
In Sagittarius, we subtract 1 from Venus and 1 from Mercury
In Capricorn, we subtract 1 from Jupiter
In Aquarius, we subtract 1 from Jupiter
In Pisces, we subtract 1 from Saturn

In this way, we only subtract proportionally from Venus and Mercury only when we can't subtract from Saturn and Jupiter. I believe Ptolemy intended his instructions to be sufficient in this way.

Sources:
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/R ... B*.html#20
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/pdf/Houlding ... _terms.pdf