1 day Ago By Gaurav Yadav
The Mesopotamian civilisation, which arose around 3400 BC, was one of the earliest urban civilisations. It was situated between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates in modern-day Iraq. The Mesopotamians developed cities, agriculture, architecture, and even a system of writing.
In those days, navigation systems were not so developed that civilisations could explore the earth much beyond their own territories. Still, every ancient civilisation had some conception of the shape of the earth. The Mesopotamian view can be seen in the myth of Etana.
In the city of Kish, there was a poplar tree in which an eagle had made its nest in the branches, and a snake had made a home in the roots. The two swore an oath of loyalty that they would be friends and would look after each other’s children. The sun god Shamash was their witness.
Everything was fine for a while, but once the eagle’s children were grown up, it ate the snake’s children. In revenge, the snake plucked the eagle’s feathers and threw it into a pit. The eagle prayed to Shamash for help.
Shamash told him that he did wrong, but still, he would have Etana, the king of Kish, help him. Etana did not have an heir and used to pray to Shamash. Shamash appeared before him and said, ‘Find a pit, look inside.
You will see an eagle. He will reveal to you the plant of birth, through which you can obtain an heir.’ Etana found and nursed the eagle to health.
The eagle agreed to take him up to heaven to get the plant of birth. Etana clung to the eagle, and they flew up. After two hours of flying, the eagle said, ‘Look, my friend, at the appearance of the earth.
Look how the earth resembles a mountain, and the sea has turned into a pool of water.’ After two more hours of carrying Etana up, the eagle again said, ‘Look, my friend, at the appearance of the earth. The sea is a girdle round the earth.
’ After another two hours, the eagle said, ‘Look, my friend, how the land is now! The sea has become a gardener's ditch.’ The Mesopotamians who wrote these myths believed that the earth was shaped like “an upturned boat.” Mesopotamian boats were circular, so an upturned boat would be hemispherical, resembling a mountain with gently sloping sides, the base of which was encircled by the sea just like a girdle encircles a human.
It is easy to see how the Mesopotamians formed this notion. Their land had the mountain ranges of Kurdistan, while the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea surrounded their land from all sides, giving rise to the belief that the earth was surrounded by ocean..
