How the Maya Indians represent the universe. How did the ancient people imagine the Earth and what has changed since then? Mayan mythology in different interpretations

28.03.2020

Maya civilization originates in Central America, it is known for its writing, art, architecture, mathematical and astronomical systems. The word "Maya" exists in ancient Indian philosophy - it has two meanings: "the source of this world" and "illusory world". How it got from Asia to Central America is unknown. But the Mayan civilization appeared there in the 10th century BC and in just 500 years on the site of an impenetrable rainforest, a civilization was created where astronomy, mathematics, architecture, sculpture, painting were developed.

The pyramid complex, built by the Mayan civilization, was erected by builders who did not know metal tools, beasts of burden or even a wheel. How did the Maya manage to create such an advanced civilization? What did they think about their own future? Every year, during the spring and autumn equinox, thousands of people from all over the world come to Mexico, to the Yucatan Peninsula, to the ruins ancient city Chichen Itza to see the winged serpent god Pokultam appearing on the north side of the pyramid of the same name. When the sun enters its zenith, and day and night become equal in length throughout the world, a winged god appears.

These are seven triangles of light and shadow that form the image of a snake. If the pyramid were turned even one degree to the side, the amazing play of light and shadow would never have manifested. The Mayan civilization mysteriously disappeared by 830 AD, after 500 years of tireless activity, all their main centers were abandoned. Until now, researchers argue about how the Mayan civilization disappeared.

The Maya are credited with their calendar system, which was used by other peoples of Central America. They calculated the cycles of eclipses, compiled tables of synchronization of the orbital periods of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon. And for some reason they paid special attention to the constellation Gemini and the Pleiades.

What does the Mayan calendar predict for us?

The calendar of the Mayan priests dates back to the mysterious starting date "Fifth Sun" August 13, 3113 BC. From her, by simply counting the number of days that have passed, the chronology was carried out. By the way, we also use the mythical date of the "birth of Christ" for our chronology. The Mayan calendar, despite its antiquity, is surprisingly accurate. According to modern calculations, the duration solar year is 365.2422 days. The Maya calculated a value of 365.2420 days. The difference is only two ten thousandths.

Their calculations of the motion of Venus diverged from modern astronomical data by only a few seconds a year. They imagined the Universe, divided into three levels - the underworld, earth and sky. Religious rituals and ceremonies were closely associated with natural and astronomical cycles. Recurring phenomena were subjected to systematic observations, after which they were displayed in various kinds of calendars. The task of the Mayan religious leader was to interpret these cycles. To compile such an accurate calendar, according to scientists, it would be necessary to observe and record the movements of the planets for about ten thousand years.

Many people consider the date of August 13, 3113 to be mythical, but if the world calculus of such a highly developed people for its time as the Maya was started from that day, then there is an explanation for this.
The Maya believed that during the Great Cycle - from 3113 BC. NS. to 2012 n. NS. - Human history is governed by a certain galactic ray emanating from the "core of the Galaxy" - the Earth and the Sun pass through it. They are held in accordance with the "galactic seasons", which were described by the Maya in mathematical and symbolic form.

The galactic ray, in Maya terms, is like a lighthouse beam, which expands with distance from the source. Suppose a ray is gliding over a boat sailing far out in the ocean. It will be illuminated for a certain period of time. The same thing happens with the Earth, which crosses the galactic beam. The point of entry of the Earth into the ray corresponds to the "initial date" of the Maya - August 13, 3113 BC. NS. The same date falls on December 21, 2012. Will he enter again?

So the figure 2012 was derived through long calculations. It became known that, according to the Mayan priests, time is divided into solar cycles. Moreover, the end of each of them is marked by the death of the civilization living in it. Four such cycles, or "Suns", have already passed, replacing four human races and sweeping away n on their way. As expected, cataclysms - global incidents destroying entire continents - became an assistant in this cleansing business. And only a few people survived, having told about what happened. The "First Sun" lasted 4008 years and was destroyed by earthquakes.

The "Second Sun" lasted 4010 years and was destroyed by hurricanes.

The "Third Sun" lasted 4081 years and fell under the fiery rain that poured from the craters of huge volcanoes.

The "Fourth Sun" (5026 years) destroyed the flood.

For astronomers, the day of December 21, 2012 is also an important event - on the agenda, the Parade of the Planets, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Earth will be in one straight line. And, surprisingly, they are not the only ones - the current event is unprecedented. The line will go beyond the limits of our solar system - all the planets of the Galaxy will be in a row. That's what surprises and awe. After all, it is known what such a combination means. This is the transition of the universe from one system to another, a change in the entire habitual way, the starting point of a new cycle. Prophecies of various faiths, as well as scientific assumptions, act as confirmation of this. According to Buddhism, the end of the world is marked by the completion of the Great Kalpa (Maha-kalpa) cycle, when all the lower worlds, including the world of people, begin to collapse.

Only the worlds of the highest gods, the brahmas, remain unaffected. One cycle of unfolding-folding of the universe is called the Big (Maha) Kalpa. Then, after a huge period of time, the universe begins to unfold again. In the Christian religion, events that are interpreted by some commentators of the Bible as signs of the end of the world are described in a book written according to tradition by the disciple of Christ John the Theologian - the Apocalypse.

There is every reason to assert that the end of 2012, namely December 21, will be a significant period in the history of our race. The Fifth Age of Creation, or, as it is often called, the Fifth Sun, is ending. This cycle, according to the Maya, lasted 5126 years and at the end of it there will be some movement of the Earth. The Maya believed that the universe exists in great cycles. They came up with names for certain time intervals: uinal - 20 days, tun - 360 days, katun - about 20 years, baktun - about 394 years - thirteen baktuns just end in 2012, pictun - 7885 years, kalabtun - 158,000 years , kinchiltun - 3 million years, alautun - 63 million years.

It turns out that the calendar is adapted for measuring gigantic periods of time. As if the Maya were going to exist forever ...

Joseph Lawrence, 2012 Apocalypse: The solar system will die in an "eclipse" in the Central Milky Way. Or deviate from its axis and start chaotic movement through space.

2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl: Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and huge tidal waves will destroy half the planet.

Andrew Smith, The 2012 Revolution: The Preparations: Restoring True Balance Between the Divine Feminine and Masculine.

Alexander Filatov, designer of the Federal Nuclear Center, Sarov: a certain planet will pass close to the Earth, which will cause a global flood, pole displacement, climate change.

Peter James and Nick Thorpe, University of California: Earth will collide with an asteroid.

Boris Pyasik: - December 12, 2012 is the day when the configuration on the firmament is not easy. This is the last day of the lunar month, which is considered "satanic": the conjunction of Jupiter with the Black Moon, the planet of negative karma, occurs, and the intense planetary aspect of Pluto with Uranus is observed. In addition, all this will take place at a time when Uranus changes the direction of its movement, which is fraught with strong destructive processes. I don’t know if this day will be the “last day of Pompeii,” but, most likely, it will cause a lot of trouble.

Astronomer's opinion

"Nothing threatens the earth yet"

Valentin Esipov, Head of the Department of Radio Astronomy of the State Astronomical Institute. Sternberg: Any calendar is simple: it takes into account the movement of the planets around the sun. And the more accurate the observations of cosmic bodies, the more accurate the chronology. We now have the most accurate calendar. And the ancient Indian tribes did not know much. In addition, we keep track of all comets and asteroids that may fly by us in the next ten years. And I declare with full responsibility that nothing threatens the Earth.

Opinion mathematician

"We only make guesses"

Vladimir Pakhomov, mathematician, physicist, former researcher at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, author of the book "Message to the Unborn":
- About the calendar that the Maya civilization made, it became known due to the fact that they had a custom to put steles in all settlements - stone pillars on which important events were recorded with the date. They did not leave us a description of their Mayan calendar. That is, maybe there was such a description, but tens of thousands of handwritten Maya books were burned by Catholic monks. Only stone steles have survived. Therefore, we can only make various assumptions about their calendar system. For example, the myth of the high accuracy of the Mayan calendar is unfounded. When you indicate the accuracy of the calendar, recording the number of days in a year with an accuracy of ten decimal places, do not believe it. The calendar is not a chronometer. The smallest value on any calendar is one day. And to measure smaller values of time, watches and stopwatches are used.

Astronaut's opinion

"Aliens will fly to us again"

Pilot-Cosmonaut Georgy Grechko: - I think the Mayan calendar ends later: December 23, 2013. After all, the year of reference is still unknown: maybe they started from 0, or maybe from one. And then, to create a calendar, you need at least a primitive telescope and precise watch... And the Maya were a bloody civilization. They even ripped out the hearts of living people during the sacrifice. And in the ball game, the captain, whose team lost the match, was beheaded in front of the audience. I am still amazed at this incompatibility of high intelligence and savagery of morals.

Therefore, I do not believe that they could create an accurate calendar. I think the aliens gave it to them. Consider that this is my fantasy, but I think that when the calendar ends in 2012 or 2013, they will come again to either give us a new calendar, or send us another Flood. We, they say, are the 5th civilization, and they destroyed 4 previous ones for bad behavior - some with a flood, others - with sulfur fire from the sky.

And we are now behaving badly: we accumulate weapons, we spoil nature. Even from space, you can see what wounds we have inflicted on the Earth. And the aliens come to us like to a resort. And we - homosapiens - they "invented" in order to preserve the planet, as a housekeeper must maintain a house until the owners arrive from vacation. They invented us the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and, finally, thought that the golden age was about to come, when they would fly again and give us new knowledge. But we ruined their "resort". And I think that if we continue to behave badly, the aliens will arrange another disaster for us.

I came up with such a horror story so that people become thoughtful, begin to love the Earth and each other, and not accumulate weapons.

Skeptic's opinion

"There will be no end of the world"

Mikhail Leitus, Chairman of the International Club of Skeptics: - In the 15th century, the menacing thought of the imminent end of the world, which was expected after the seventh thousand years from the creation of the world, gravitated over the minds of Russians. According to the Greek-Russian chronology, seven thousand years ended just in 1492. Therefore, the liturgical Paschalia, which indicated the months and dates of the celebration of Easter, was brought only until 1492. When the fateful year passed safely, the Jews began to scoff at the Orthodox: "Seven thousand years have ended, and your Paschalia has passed, why isn't Christ appearing, contrary to your expectations?"

At the beginning of the eighth thousand years, in September 1492, the Cathedral met in Moscow and decided to write Paschalia for the eighth thousand years.

The majestic Mayan civilization, formed before our era, left behind many mysteries. She is known for developed writing and architecture, mathematics, art, astronomy. The infamous Mayan calendar was incredibly accurate. And this is not all the legacy that the Indians left behind, who became famous as one of the most developed and most cruel peoples of the world.

Who are the Maya?

The ancient Maya are an Indian people who lived at the turn of the 1st millennium BC. - II millennium AD Researchers say they numbered more than three million. They settled in tropical forests, built cities of stone and limestone, and cultivated unsuitable lands for agriculture, where they grew maize, pumpkin, beans, cocoa, cotton and fruits. The descendants of the Maya are the Indians of Central America and part of the Hispanic population of the southern states of Mexico.

Where did the ancient Maya live?

A large Mayan tribe settled in the vast territory of present-day Mexico, Belize and Guatemala, western Honduras and El Salvador (Central America). The center for the development of civilization was in the North. Since the soil was quickly depleted, the people were forced to move, change settlements. The occupied lands were distinguished by a variety of natural landscapes:

in the north - the Peten limestone plateau, where a hot, humid climate reigned, and the Alta Verapaz mountains;
in the south - a chain of volcanoes and coniferous forests;
the rivers flowing through the Mayan lands carried their waters to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean;
on the Yucatan Peninsula, where salt was mined, the climate is arid.

Mayan Civilization - Achievements

The Mayan culture has in many ways surpassed its time. Already in 400-250. BC. people began to build monumental structures and architectural complexes, reached peculiar heights in the sciences (astronomy, mathematics), agriculture. During the so-called classical period (from 300 to 900 AD), the ancient Mayan civilization reached its heyday. People improved the art of jade carving, sculpture and artistic painting, watched the heavenly bodies, and developed writing. The achievements of the Maya are still amazing.

Ancient Maya architecture

At the dawn of time, not having at hand modern technology, the ancient people built amazing structures. The main material for the construction was limestone, from which they made powder and prepared a solution resembling cement. With its help, stone blocks were fastened, and the limestone walls were reliably protected from moisture and wind. An important part of all buildings was the so-called "Mayan vault", a false arch - a kind of narrowing of the roof. The architecture was different depending on the period:

The first buildings were huts, laid on low platforms to protect against flooding.
The former were assembled from several platforms mounted one on top of the other.
In the Golden Age of cultural development, acropolis were built everywhere - ceremonial complexes consisting of pyramids, palaces, even playgrounds.
The ancient Mayan pyramids reached 60 meters in height and resembled a mountain in shape. Temples were erected on their tops - narrow, windowless square houses.
In some cities observatories were located - round towers with a room for observing the moon, sun and stars.

Mayan civilization calendar

Space played a large role in the life of the ancient tribes, and the main achievements of the Maya are closely related to it. Based on two annual cycles, a system of chronology was created. For long-term observations of time, the "Long Count" calendar was used. For short periods, the Mayan civilization had several solar calendars:

religious (in which the year lasted 260 days) had ritual significance;
practical (365 days) was used in everyday life;
chronological (360 days).

Weapons of the ancient Maya

In terms of weapons and armor, the ancient Mayan civilization was unable to reach significant heights. Over the long centuries of existence, they have not changed much, because the Maya devoted much more time and effort to improving the art of war. The following types of weapons were used in wars and hunting:

spears (long, taller than a person, with a stone tip);
spear thrower - stick with emphasis;
dart;
bows and arrows;
wind gun;
axes;
knives;
clubs;
sling;
networks.

Ancient Maya figures

The number system of the ancient Maya was based on the twenty-decimal system, which is unusual for modern man. Its origins are the counting method, in which all fingers and toes were used. The Indians had a structure of four blocks with five numbers in each. Zero was schematically represented as a devastated oyster shell. Infinity was also designated by this sign. To write the rest of the numbers, cocoa beans, small pebbles, sticks were used, since the numbers were a mixture of dots and dashes. With the help of three elements, any number was recorded:

point is a unit,
the devil is five;
sink - zero.

Ancient Mayan medicine

It is known that the ancient Maya created a highly developed civilization and tried to take care of each tribe. Practical knowledge of maintaining hygiene and health elevated the Indians above other peoples of the time. Specially trained people were involved in medicine. Doctors very accurately identified many diseases (including tuberculosis, ulcers, asthma, etc.) and fought them with drugs, baths, and inhalation. The ingredients of medicines were:

herbs;
meat, skin, tails, horns of animals;
feathers of birds;
improvised means - dirt, soot.

Dentistry and surgery reached a high level among the Maya people. Thanks to the sacrifices carried out, the Indians knew the human anatomy, and doctors could perform operations on the face and body. The affected areas or those where there was a suspicion of a tumor were removed with a knife, the wounds were sutured with a needle and hair instead of a thread, and narcotic substances were used as anesthesia. Medical knowledge is an ancient Mayan treasure to be admired.

Ancient Maya art

The many-sided Mayan culture was formed under the influence of the geographical environment and other peoples: the Olmecs and Toltecs. But she is amazing, unlike any other. What is the uniqueness of the Mayan civilization and its art? All subspecies were aimed at the ruling elite, that is, they were created to please the kings in order to impress. To a greater extent, this concerns architecture. Another feature: an attempt to create an image of the Universe, a reduced copy of it. This is how the Maya declared their harmony with the world. Features of the subspecies of art were expressed in the following:

Music was closely associated with religion. There were even special gods responsible for music.
Dramatic art flourished, the actors were professionals in their field.
Most of the painting was on the wall. The paintings were of a religious or historical nature.
The main theme of the sculpture is deities, priests, lords. Whereas common people were portrayed emphatically humiliated.
Weaving was developed in the Mayan empire. Clothes, depending on gender and status, varied greatly. The people traded their best fabrics with other tribes.

Where did the Mayan civilization disappear?

One of the main questions that interests historians and researchers: how and for what reasons did a thriving empire collapse? The destruction of the Mayan civilization began in the 9th century AD. In the southern regions, the population began to decline rapidly, and the water supply system became unusable. People left their homes, and the construction of new cities was suspended. This led to the fact that the once great empire turned into scattered settlements, at war with each other. In 1528, the Spaniards began the conquest of Yucatan and by the 17th century they completely subdued the region.

Why did the Mayan civilization disappear?

Until now, researchers argue about what caused the death of a great culture. Two hypotheses are put forward:

Ecological, based on the balance of man with nature. Long-term exploitation of soils led to their depletion, which led to a shortage of food and drinking water.
Non-ecological. According to this theory, the empire could have fallen into decay due to climate change, an epidemic, conquest, or some kind of disaster. For example, some researchers believe that the Maya Indians could die even due to minor climate change (droughts, floods).

Mayan civilization - interesting facts

Not only the disappearance, but also many other mysteries of the Mayan civilization still haunt historians. The last place where the life of the tribe was recorded: the north of Guatemala. Only archaeological excavations now tell about history and culture, and according to them you can collect interesting facts about ancient civilization:

People from the Mayan tribe loved to take a steam bath and kick a ball. The games were a mixture of basketball and rugby, but with more serious consequences - the losers were sacrificed.
The Maya had strange notions of beauty, for example, slanting eyes, pointed fangs and elongated heads were in fashion. For this, mothers from childhood placed the child's skull in a wooden vise and hung objects in front of their eyes in order to achieve strabismus.
Research has shown that ancestors highly developed civilization Maya are still alive, and there are at least 7 million around the world.

Mayan Civilization Books

Many works of contemporary authors from Russia and abroad tell about the flourishing and decline of the empire, the unsolved mysteries. To learn more about the disappeared people, you can study the following books about the Mayan civilization:

Maya people. Alberto Rus.
"Mysteries of Perished Civilizations". IN AND. Gulyaev.
"Mayan. Everyday life, religion, culture ”. Ralph Whitlock.
"Mayan. Lost civilization. Legends and Facts ”. Michael Co.
Encyclopedia " lost World Mayan".

The Mayan civilization left behind many cultural achievements and even more unsolved mysteries. So far, the question of its emergence and decline remained unanswered. You can only make assumptions. In an attempt to solve many mysteries, researchers stumble upon even more secrets. One of the most magnificent ancient civilizations remains the most mysterious and attractive.

The ancient Maya Indians left behind many mysteries that are difficult to solve, approaching this civilization with ordinary earthly standards. Not so long ago, the President of Mexico provided amazing information that sheds light on some of the events of that distant past.

As it turned out, in secret government vaults, underground, the most important historical materials were located for 80 years. These documents are direct evidence that there were aliens on Earth from outer space and the Maya Indians met with them. In the declassified handwritten sources of the tribe, it is asserted: our planet was visited by beings from a completely different starry world. It is expected that these materials will soon be published to the general public.

Mayan Secrets

In a rather short period of their existence, the Maya Indians made a powerful breakthrough: they mastered writing and mastered large territories of Central America. They even built a model for the formation of our Universe.

But here interesting fact: successful in the sciences, having mastered mathematics, creating an accurate calendar, the Maya for some reason did not do the simplest thing - they did not invent the wheel. And after, when wheels and carts had served humanity for centuries, the ancient Indians did not even think to use them. But the Mayans invented a lot to ensure and improve their lives: from moving on water in a canoe to performing complex surgical operations ... But the Maya did not have a wheel with which it was possible to move and transport goods over land.

Meanwhile, they erected huge pyramids of stone, which today amaze us with their grandeur. Did people carry heavy blocks on themselves during the construction of these colossal structures? After all, they could not harness animals to carts with wheels due to the absence of the latter ...

Some researchers believe that our information on the movement of ancient Indians overland is very scanty. In particular, it is believed that they could possess the secret of teleportation.

This is confirmed by handwritten Maya texts, according to which any adult Indian could sit under a tree, squeezing a staff with his hands and closing his eyes, and after a short time open them in a completely different place. It is clear that this type of movement is much more efficient than carts. By the way, there is no data in ancient documents that the Maya dragged heavy boulders by dragging.

Aliens helped the Maya go to another space

Another mystery of the ancient Mayan civilization is its unexpected disappearance... The priests who made up the calendar, which so frightened us in 2012, were well aware of the planets of the solar system: some of them were discovered by scientists (as if repeatedly after the Maya) relatively recently.

But the ancient Indians knew about other, distant from us starry worlds. Now it turns out that they, among other things, met with space aliens. How did it happen that a rapidly developing civilization with enormous potential suddenly and inexplicably disappears from the face of the Earth?

And if we assume that all their knowledge and capabilities of the Maya received thanks to friends who flew in from another world? And perhaps we are not talking about the decline of a great culture, but about a simple movement to another dimension or another space? It is no coincidence that aliens are still showing an increased interest in the ancient Mayan cities, since they may be somehow connected with mysterious temporal-spatial portals for us ...

Once at a tender age, hearing the expression “at the end of the world” in fairy tales, I thought - where is this edge and what does it look like? If it just ends the Earth, and emptiness begins, then did they put a fence there so that no one would fall? Childhood is over, I learned about planets and Solar system , galaxies and The universe. Even now it is difficult to imagine the immensity and assume where is the edge of the universe... Probably, in this matter we are all like ancient people who imagine the Earth and universe.

How our ancestors imagined the world

Scientific attempts to describe the universe

Some peoples have advanced in knowledge of the world deeper than a comfortable legend from grandma's tales. The most advanced in this area were:

Greeks. Officially, they were the first to suggest that The earth is round... But their theory was geocentric- It was believed that the Sun and the planets revolve around the Earth. Atomists suggested that our system is not the only one, and presented the Universe as a cluster of systems, in which they were not far from the truth.
Hindus... The Vedas and Puranas allegorically describe solar system model like planets walking around the sun, and the sun itself - around the Earth... As the priestly level degraded, the servants themselves began to perceive the projection drawings as flat objects, from which the version about flat earth.
Romans... Like the Greeks, they argued geocentric The universe, while calculating quite accurately temporal length of orbits planets and their remoteness from the Earth.

Today

The fact that today a lot is known about our Solar system, our and nearby galaxies, does not give confidence in the correctness of our ideas about the universe... Most of them are just guesswork... It is quite possible that our ideas will also get into someone's discussion in 300 years.

People began to think about what the universe is in ancient times, before the advent of writing and more or less scientific methods of knowing the world around them. Ancient man in his ideas, he proceeded from the poor set of knowledge that he could obtain through observations of the nature among which he lived.

Modern science borrowed an approximate understanding of the most ancient cosmogonic theories from the worldviews of the peoples of Africa and Northern Siberia, whose culture for a long time did not come into contact with the common human culture.

Prehistoric views

Prehistoric people considered the world around them as a single living creature, huge and incomprehensible. So, until recently, one of the Siberian tribes had an idea of the world as a huge deer grazing among the stars. Its wool is endless forests, and animals, birds and people are just fleas living in wool. When they bother too much, the deer tries to get rid of them by swimming in the river (rainy autumn) or wallowing in the snow (winter). The sun and the moon are also giant animals grazing next to the deer-earth.

Ancient Egyptians and Greeks

The peoples whose level of development was higher received the opportunity to travel to distant countries and saw that in the world there are not only mountains, or steppes, or forests. They envisioned the Earth as a flat disk or high mountain surrounded on all sides by the endless sea. The vault of heaven in the form of a huge overturned bowl sank with its edges into this sea, closing the small universe the ancient world.

Such ideas existed among the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. According to their cosmogonic version, the Sun-deity rolled along the firmament in a fiery chariot every day, illuminating the plane of the Earth.

The wisdom of ancient India

The ancient Indians had a legend that the plane of the Earth does not just hover in the sky or floats in the world's oceans, but rests on the backs of three giant elephants, which, in turn, stand on the shell of a turtle. Considering that the turtle, in turn, rested on a coiled snake that personified the firmament, we can assume that the described animals are nothing more than symbols of the powerful natural phenomena.

Ancient China and world harmony

In ancient China, the universe was believed to be like an egg split in half. The upper part of the egg forms the vault of heaven and is the focus of all that is pure, light and bright. The lower part of the egg is the Earth, floating in the world's oceans and having a square shape.

Earthly manifestations are accompanied by darkness, heaviness and dirt. The combination of two opposite principles forms our entire world in its richness and diversity.

Aztecs, Incas, Mayans

In the ideas of the ancient inhabitants of the American continent, time and space were a single whole and were denoted by the same word "pacha". For them, time was like a ring, on one side of which was the present and visible past, i.e. what was kept in memory. The future was in the invisible part of the ring and at some point merged with the deep past.

Scientific thought of ancient Greece

More than two thousand years ago, the ancient Greek mathematicians Pythagoras, and after him Aristotle, developed the theory of a spherical earth, which, in their opinion, was the center of the universe. The Sun, the Moon and numerous stars revolved around, fixed on several nested crystal celestial spheres.

The universe of Aristotle, developed and supplemented by another scientist of antiquity - Ptolemy - existed for one and a half millennia, satisfying the intellectual needs of most of the learned minds of antiquity.

These ideas formed the basis for the research of the great mathematician Nicolaus Copernicus, who based on his observations and calculations made his own heliocentric picture of the world. Its center was occupied by the Sun, around which there were seven planets, surrounded by a motionless celestial sphere with stars placed on it. Copernicus' teachings gave impetus to modern astronomy, the emergence of such scientists as Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler and others.