People are gradually exploring the cosmos, but still do not know what is hidden in the depths of the oceans and the bowels of the earth. We have made some progress in studying these topics, but in fact, humanity has more questions than answers. Will we ever get answers to them? The thing is that with the development of technology we got the opportunity to learn more about the structure of the planet, however, our scientific achievements still require improvement. What did people think before about the structure of the Earth? In ancient times, everything was much simpler.
Center of the World
The naivety of ancient people was proportional to their ignorance. All ancient tribes were sure that the world was divided into two parts - Earth and Sky. They considered man to be the “crown of creation”, to whom the moon and the sun patronize. In addition, the ancients were inclined to believe that it was our planet that is the center of the universe. For example, the Incas of Peru claimed that the center of the World is located in the Kutsko Temple, which means "navel". As you see, mankind has long been interested in the structure of the Earth’s surface. What did our ancestors think about this?
Theories of the Earth’s structure in ancient times were as many as there are peoples on the planet. Consider the most incredible and interesting.
So Earth is ...
- A plain surrounded by mountains (Jews).
- A mountain on one side of which is Babylon, and on the other are uncharted lands (Babylonians).
- Turtle, the guards of which are different countries (Chinese).
- A disk that looks like a warrior's shield (Greeks).
The Tree of Life
This concept in one form or another is found in many peoples of the world. In almost every ancient culture, you can find the Sacred Tree, which is the basis of life and Peace. For example, the tree Yggdrasil among the Scandinavians. Its roots symbolize the lower world of Hel, the trunk - Midgard - the kingdom of people, and the branches are the embodiment of Asgard.
A similar theory can also be found among the Aztecs and Mayans. The Indian Vedas call the tree Asvattha, and Turkic mythology - Baiterek.
Three elephants and one turtle
This theory of the Earth’s structure is probably known to everyone. She is of the opinion that the world is supported by three elephants standing on the shell of a giant tortoise. She, in turn, floats in the boundless Ocean of Truth and Knowledge, from which she draws information. It is noteworthy that the Indians were sure: the turtle is standing on a huge snake biting its tail. Today such a snake is called Ouroboros. It is a symbol of infinity.
Elephants represent three areas: materialism (matter), mysticism (spirituality), idealism (thought). A similar concept of the structure of the world in ancient times could be found in China, India and Tibet.
Deity body
Theories of the origin and structure of the world are often associated with the body of a deity. For example, the Scandinavians believed that the world was created from the body of the giant Ymir, whose eyes became oceans, and hair - forests. In Indian mythology, Purush took over this function, and in Chinese - Pangu. By the way, the Indians believed that people also came from the body of Purusha. It is noteworthy that even today you can hear the version that we are in the body of God.
Greek theory
Initially, the Greeks were sure that the Earth is a plane that is surrounded by the sea. It was from this sea that stars came out at night. In the morning, the sun god rose from it.
Muslim myth
One of the legends of the adherents of Islam says that the Earth rests on the head of an angel who stands on a ruby mountain. She is supported by a huge bull, which is located on the fish. The latter, which is logical, is in the water, and under its thickness is darkness.
Earth's internal structure
Ancient people also worried about this issue. However, his study was not available to them. It was only in the 17th century that Edmund Halley proposed a theory called "The Void of the Earth." It consisted in the fact that there is a cavity inside the planet, that is, a core whose thickness is 800 km. Between the spheres of the core is an air gap. To avoid the effect of friction, the inner sphere should be held in place by gravity, he believed.
Therefore, scientists decided to check the reliability of the Bible and calculate the age of the planet. To this end, they began to study fossils and develop a system for classifying the dating of the layers of the planet.
Modern people are also not far advanced in their research. In fact, we cannot even be sure that the core is in the center of the planet. This is the assumption of scientists who discovered that heavy metals are concentrated in the deeper layers of the Earth. Today, one can also hear many different theories about its internal structure, one of which says that the Earth is hollow.