Since the dawn of culture and storytelling, humans have invented fables, myths, legends, and stories, to explain the inexplicable. Many of these stories seem far-fetched now, but with modern advancements in science and archaeology, can now dissect some of these myths and provide possible explanations for their origins.
Roman underworld entrances
Humans have been imagining a life after death for a long time, and with that, came myths of the underworld. Romans in particular detailed ‘gates to hell’, to which sacrifices were made. Healthy bulls were brought down to caves thought to be underworld entrances, and while the priests that delivered these sacrifices were fine, the animals died quickly.
These ‘gates of hell’ were likely caves with fissures leaking volcanic carbon dioxide. The gas disperses during the day, but at night, it forms toxic pools on the ground. In high enough concentrations, the gas can asphyxiate animals and even humans, but this danger decreases exponentially with height. It’s likely the priests sacrificing these animals were simply too tall to suffer immediate effects.
A ‘Gate to hell’ located in the ancient city of Hierapolis, in modern day Turkey, has been shown to still be active today, asphyxiating birds that fly too close.
Delphi The Oracle
The oracle Delphi is a prominent figure in Greek mythology and culture, making predictions at the temple of Apollo, once the temple of Gaea. Here, the Delphi would go into a frantic state, delivering prophecies.
Modern technology has revealed two hidden fissures in the temple, which leak three hydrocarbons: methane, ethane, and ethylene. Ethylene was historically used as an anesthetic, but in small doses it can produce a euphoric sensation, which could likely be a contributor to The Delphi’s prophetic powers.
Nowadays, ethylene is a common produce sterilizer and artificial fruit ripener.
Noah’s Arc
The myth of Noah’s ark is a popular biblical tale, in which a flood kills all of the animals on earth, however allows Noah to take two of each animal species, one male and one female, onto a boat to save them from the flood.
Around 12,000 years ago, the world would have been coated in ice. This Ice eventually began to melt, causing water levels to rise and large floods. Studies performed by Robert Ballard, a respected underwater archeologist, and his team on the black sea have produced evidence that there was a great flood sometime around 5000 B.C., the time period in which the story of Noah’s Ark might have occurred. It is possible that tales of this catastrophe were passed down and eventually led to the story of Noah’s Ark.
