Why not talk about how ancient people saw solar eclipses since we’ll see one that appears every 400 years next month? In ancient times, the sudden darkening of the sun was a cause of great wonder and fear. For our ancestors, it could be seen as an omen or a divine message.
These celestial events, interpreted as signs of impending changes, have influenced cultures and societies in profoundly significant ways.
In Chinesethe eclipse was believed to be the work of a celestial dragon that devoured the sun, while in the Sud America the Incas interpreted the event as a sign of the discontent of the solar deity, trying to appease his anger with sacrifices. These mythological tales, while varying between different cultures, highlight a common theme: the eclipse as moment of crisis and reflectiona crossroads between divine favor and calamity.
In the Greek world, a solar eclipse even marked the end of a war conflict: in 585 BC, the sudden darkness during a solar eclipse convinced the Lydians and the Medes, two populations at war, to lay down their weapons and seek peace long-lasting. This event, which according to some was predicted by the philosopher Thales of Miletus, demonstrates how profoundly astronomical events could influence political decisions and social aspects of past civilizations.
Traces of such events are also found in the engravings rocklike those present in Chaco CanyonNew Mexico, which some scholars believe represent the eclipse of 1097 AD. These symbols, alongside other documented astronomical events such as comets visible to the naked eye, may have influenced the decisions of populations Native Americans to abandon their settlements, perhaps driven by a sense of ominous omen linked to celestial events.
In any case, scientific progress has then clarified the nature and causes of eclipses, replacing superstitious explanations with those based on physics.
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