Atlas

Ordinary Sarah · 08-25-2005, 04:16 PM

I'm not sure if this is where I should be putting a question of this sort... I couldn't decide if it should go under books or not, but I'll try it out here.

I was wondering the other day, learning about mythology in English class, why Atlas is always pictured holding up a round globe. Wouldn't the ancient civilizations have held the opinion that the world was flat, not round?

Qingu · 08-25-2005, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarahTheGuitarist

I'm not sure if this is where I should be putting a question of this sort... I couldn't decide if it should go under books or not, but I'll try it out here.

I was wondering the other day, learning about mythology in English class, why Atlas is always pictured holding up a round globe. Wouldn't the ancient civilizations have held the opinion that the world was flat, not round?

Yes. And I'm pretty sure he wasn't even holding up the earth in Hercules ... he was holding up the heavens. (Ancients believed that both the heavens and the earth were each held up by pillars.)

I don't think there are any visual representations of Atlas dating back that far. The Greeks figured out the world is round pretty early, too (it was known to all classical philosphers). But the more ancient Greeks clearly believed the world was like a flat disk--this is very evident from their mythology. If you think about it, the Atlas myth makes a lot more sense if you visualize him acting as a pillar holding up a disk-shaped earth, rather than carrying the whole globe on his back (wouldn't people notice a giant titan's back pressing against Australia?

)

guitarmonkey<>< · 08-25-2005, 04:35 PM

Being a Greek. Atlas was not holding the planet, he was holding up the sky to keep it from falling down and crushing everyone and their goat. I give Qingu's post my stamp of approval.

Ordinary Sarah · 09-23-2005, 04:28 PM

Ahhh, thanks so much for clearing that up. So most of the art we see now was done later to represent Atlas?

Qingu · 09-23-2005, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarahTheGuitarist

Ahhh, thanks so much for clearing that up. So most of the art we see now was done later to represent Atlas?

The Greeks figured out that the world was round by at least 500 BC, so pretty much any artistic depiction of the titan after that date would probably reflect the round-earth cosmology. I don't think we have any Greek art that dates much earlier than that. And I'm pretty sure that the most famous depictions of Atlas are from the Rennaissance period anyway.

The actual Atlas myth (like most Greek myths) dates to much earlier than 500 BC.

Ordinary Sarah · 09-24-2005, 09:28 PM

Ahhh, ok. Well, thanks so much for clearing that up, it was one of those "did you ever wonder" things.