Meteor Shower

What would the Romans have thought of the meteor showers? Would they have seen it as an omen from the gods? Would they have realized it was a naturally occurring thing that happened once a year or so?

Objects in the sky have almost always been interpreted as omens. The ancient Chinese would sometimes associate comets and asterioids with dragons in the sky. In the Dark ages they were interpreted as heralding misfortune - the attack on Lindisfarne by Vikings in 793 AD was preceeded by meteroites or a comet. The same with the events before the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The Romans were no different. There are many descriptions of objects filling the sky and heralding portents. Whether these can be seen as meteorites is questionable. If anything many of these sky sightings seem to have been cooked up to go with a famous event. Here are a few examples:

393 A.D. Strange lights were seen in the sky in the days of the Emperor Theodosius. On a sudden, a bright globe appeared at midnight. It shone brilliantly near the day star (planet, Venus), about the circle of the Zodiac. This globe shone little less brilliantly than the planet, and little by little, a great number of other glowing orbs drew near the first globe. The spectacle was like a swarm of bees flying around the bee-keeper, and the light of these orbs was as if they were dashing violently against each other. Soon, they blended together into one awful flame, and bodied forth to the eye as a horrible two-edged sword. The strange globe which was first seen now appeared like the pommel to a handle, and all the little orbs, fused with the first, shone as brilliantly as the first globe.

216 B.C. Things like ships were seen in the sky over Italy... At Arpi (180 Roman miles, east of Rome, in Apulia) a round shield was seen in the sky. At Capua, the sky was all on fire, and one saw figures like ships...

99 B.C. When C. Murius and L. Valerius were consuls, in Tarquinia, there fell in different places.... a thing like a flaming torch, and it came suddenly from the sky. Towards sunset, a round object like a globe, or round or circular shield took its path in the sky, from west to east.

Many imaginative people have seen these as being descriptions of ancient UFO sightings, although its more likely that these have been made up by the Roman authors. The Augurs might have interpreted any meteorlogical events like these. After all, they did interpret the flight of birds, why not the falling stars?

393 A.D. Strange lights were seen in the sky in the days of the Emperor Theodosius. On a sudden, a bright globe appeared at midnight. It shone brilliantly near the day star (planet, Venus), about the circle of the Zodiac. This globe shone little less brilliantly than the planet, and little by little, a great number of other glowing orbs drew near the first globe. The spectacle was like a swarm of bees flying around the bee-keeper, and the light of these orbs was as if they were dashing violently against each other. Soon, they blended together into one awful flame, and bodied forth to the eye as a horrible two-edged sword. The strange globe which was first seen now appeared like the pommel to a handle, and all the little orbs, fused with the first, shone as brilliantly as the first

Although the authors have no doubt embellished this one, it sounds very like a supernova, and indeed there was an explosion in this year.

Definitely a sign!

Throughout history the sky has been the home of the gods and such a phenomenon would have almost definitely been interpreted by the Romans as a sign. Whether good or bad, depends on directions or so forth.

It would be interesting to see what they made of the listed appearances.

vtc

Salve, guys!

Please check out this related recent thread:

Perseid Meteor Shower.

I hope you find it useful.

Although the authors have no doubt embellished this one, it sounds very like a supernova, and indeed there was an explosion in this year.

Merely a nova I'm afraid. The star coughs and throws off waste material from the surface, resulting in a bright flare. Such things are rare enough, but supernova (The complete destruction of a star) is incredibly rare - I did read of one expert who reckoned there's been three during the life of our galaxy. In any case, an observable supernova had better be a long way off because the explosion has dire consequences for nearby star systems.

Merely a nova I'm afraid. The star coughs and throws off waste material from the surface, resulting in a bright flare. Such things are rare enough, but supernova (The complete destruction of a star) is incredibly rare - I did read of one expert who reckoned there's been three during the life of our galaxy. In any case, an observable supernova had better be a long way off because the explosion has dire consequences for nearby star systems.

I actually think I saw a nova a couple of weeks ago...the star was very distant but it was flashing, not just twinkling, but flashing. I'd been watching this same star for a couple of nights. It went very dim, then a spike of light coming up and down from the star and then...nothing. I checked the night after that and the star was not there...

On a related note, there is a lunar eclipse tonight!

Merely a nova I'm afraid. The star coughs and throws off waste material from the surface, resulting in a bright flare. Such things are rare enough, but supernova (The complete destruction of a star) is incredibly rare - I did read of one expert who reckoned there's been three during the life of our galaxy. In any case, an observable supernova had better be a long way off because the explosion has dire consequences for nearby star systems.

 

I actually think I saw a nova a couple of weeks ago...the star was very distant but it was flashing, not just twinkling, but flashing. I'd been watching this same star for a couple of nights. It went very dim, then a spike of light coming up and down from the star and then...nothing. I checked the night after that and the star was not there...

 

On a related note, there is a lunar eclipse tonight!

Wow.

I did a little research on wiki about this and you seem to have really seen one by what you describe or you saw a sateleitte braking up on re-entry

luck bod

vtc

Wow.

I did a little research on wiki about this and you seem to have really seen one by what you describe or you saw a sateleitte braking up on re-entry

I don't know, it was seriously cool. And seriously meaningful, as I saw it the night before my Initiation.

But I digress. Back to the topic!!

Well, im not postive but meteors that got through the atmosphere were made into weapons, this is beacause meteors are made of iron. And they also probably thought it was a message from the gods. Again I know the ancient Mesopatamians did it, I think Romans did it to. Anyway, it would have been smart.

Salve, Amici!

Presumably not a meteor, but here it comes the an augustean coin with the famous Sidus Iulum.

Also called the Caesaris Astrum, it has been identified as the non-periodical comet C/-43 K1, seen from ante diem XIV to a.d. VII Kalendas Iunius (May 18 to 25) DCCX AUC (44 BC) during the Ludis Victoriae Caesaris celebrated by Octavius (still not Augustus), and identified by the Roman populace as evidence of Caesar's apotheosis.

Here come Gaius Plinius Secundus Maioris, Naturalis Historia, Libri II, Ch. XXIII:

"Rome is the only place in the whole world where there is a temple dedicated to a comet; it was thought by the late Emperor Augustus to be auspicious to him, from its appearing during the games which he was celebrating in honour of Venus Genetrix (Pliny confused the games), not long after the death of his father C

Well, im not postive but meteors that got through the atmosphere were made into weapons, this is beacause meteors are made of iron. And they also probably thought it was a message from the gods. Again I know the ancient Mesopatamians did it, I think Romans did it to. Anyway, it would have been smart.

Mostly thats heroic myth, and although an iron-rich meteorite isn't unusual, most are very small and of no use for making weapons. Meteorites are not made of special quality metals I'm afraid, its just the same stuff we find everywhere on earth.

Lets also differentiate between phenomena. Meteors are the larger lumps falling with a very impressive firework display, but very rare. Metallic lumps on the ground of extra-terrestial origin are meteorites and are baiscally interstellar rubble that only become visible on entering the atmosphere, as a 'falling star' without the characteristic tail.

Well, im not postive but meteors that got through the atmosphere were made into weapons, this is beacause meteors are made of iron. And they also probably thought it was a message from the gods. Again I know the ancient Mesopatamians did it, I think Romans did it to. Anyway, it would have been smart.

Mostly thats heroic myth, and although an iron-rich meteorite isn't unusual, most are very small and of no use for making weapons. Meteorites are not made of special quality metals I'm afraid, its just the same stuff we find everywhere on earth.

 

Lets also differentiate between phenomena. Meteors are the larger lumps falling with a very impressive firework display, but very rare. Metallic lumps on the ground of extra-terrestial origin are meteorites and are baiscally interstellar rubble that only become visible on entering the atmosphere, as a 'falling star' without the characteristic tail.

The ancient Mesopatanian king found a falling meteor. He made a short sword out of it. And this was before Iron. So it was pretty strong for them.

Which mesopotamian king? Surely his weaponsmith did the work and not him? In any case, such remains are scarce and not so easily found. Remember that a large-ish meteor doesn't simply drop on the ground. It creates a sizeable crater and usually buries itself under the debris. Its a large metallic stone travelling at high speed, much higher than a catapult stone. And where did you get the story that the sword made from it was stronger? My guess is thats a piece of ancient hype. If they can work meteoric iron to create a sword, they can create iron swords of mundane origin.