Paul’s Journey to Atlantis Part Two: The Birth of Aphrodite- a new analysis of a historical event. © Nicholas Costa 2024

Extant documents provide no date for the birth of Aphrodite, but to the Greeks she was considered to be the oldest of the 12 Olympian gods older even than Zeus. For them she was considered to be the equivalent of a number of other ancient near eastern goddess, the most notable of these being the Egyptian goddess Isis. It is through Isis that one can determine a date for the events surrounding Aphrodite’s birth.

The Sudden appearance of Isis

Although the worship of Egyptian gods and goddesses began before this time, no reference is made to either Isis or Osiris before the end of the 5th dynasty. The deities suddenly appear and the first references to them are to be found in the Pyramid Texts which are dated to c2350-2100 BC.

Tsunami

Several passages in the Pyramid Texts link Isis directly to the Nile Delta which would have evidently felt the full force of any tsunami generated by an airburst or impact event further north.

Such an event is implied in the myth of the birth of Aphrodite. Interestingly in the contest of Typhon with the gods, Aphrodite is depicted as metamorphosing into a fish. _{(Ov. Met. v. 318, &c.; comp. Hygin. Poet. Astr. 30.)}.

Evidence that such a tsunami did indeed occur in the immediate vicinity of the Nile Delta in the middle of third millennium BC has been uncovered by a group led by Asem Salama of the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Strasbourg. _{(Paleotsunami deposits along the coast of Egypt correlate with historical earthquake records of eastern Mediterranean, Asem Salama et al. 2018)}

Isis: allusions to air burst and tsunami

In the Pyramid Texts, Isis is connected to Sopdet, the star Sirius, which was considered to be the Herald of the Inundation. As Iset-Sopdet or Isis-Sothis, the goddess was known as the bringer of the flood. The star associated with her rose in the pre-dawn sky just before the beginning of the annual inundation of the Nile.

In the Coffin Texts, one can find many allusions to the disaster. The earliest such texts date to the First Intermediate period (c. 2130–1938 BC) and the Middle Kingdom (1938–c. 1630 BC).

Here, Isis is signified as the bringer of water to the dead- an allusion perhaps to those who were drowned. Isis is also called upon to bring cooling water to dampen the heat of inflamed wounds or burns. -an allusion to the aftermath of an airburst.

The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus calendar states: “Birth of Isis: the heaven rained.” At Philae she was described as, “the rain-cloud that makes green the field when it descends”.

Pausanias in his Guide to Greece wrote that: “the Egyptians hold the feast for Isis at a time when they say she is mourning for Osiris. At this time the Nile begins to rise, and it is a saying among many of the natives that what makes the river rise and water their fields is the tears of Isis.” _{(Paus. 10.32.18)}. One of her epithets was Iset-Meheyet “Isis Flood.”

Isis and Aphrodite’s links to Scorpio and Orion

In Egyptian mythology Isis was identified with the constellation of Scorpio. She was often represented as a scorpion. Osiris, her partner, was identified with the constellation of Orion.

Evidence that Aphrodite was also linked to Scorpio is demonstrated by the existence of an amulet for protection from scorpions by banishing them in the name of Aphrodite _{(Magic (T-S NS 31.37) Cairo Geniza, Cambridge University Library).}

Whilst her link to Orion is hinted at by Apollodorus _{(Library, 1.4.4)} who states that: “Dawn (Eos) fell in love with Orion and carried him off and brought him to Delos; for Aphrodite caused Dawn to be perpetually in love, because she had bedded with Ares.”

Likewise Nonnus in his Dionysiaca, _(6.229) who states that Ares who “possessed the Scorpion” ogled Aphrodite in the night sky.

Interestingly surviving mythology seems to have combined two separate catastrophic events. Homer, alludes to the event in the Odyssey _{(5. 118 ff)} where he states: “So it was when Eos of the rosy fingers chose out Orion; you gods who live in such ease yourselves were jealous of her until chaste Artemis in her cloth-of-gold visited him with her gentle shafts and slew him in Ortygia.” The introduction of Artemis is possibly an allusion to the disaster of 1327 BC and the destruction of Ephesus.

The Dawn

Theophrastus wrote,“But the rising of most of the familiar constellations is at dawn, for instance, the Pleiades, Orion and the Dog” _{(On Weather Signs, 2 )}. However for further implications concerning the relevance of the dawn imagery see Sekhmet daughter of the Sun, Nicholas Costa 2024

The Rise of Osiris and Isis

Like Isis, Osiris suddenly appears during the Fifth Dynasty when for some hitherto unknown reason several important changes occurred in Egyptian religion. The earliest known copies of funerary prayers inscribed on royal tombs, the Pyramid Texts, suddenly appear. The cult of the sun god Ra had gained added importance during the Fifth Dynasty and rulers from Userkaf (the first ruler) through to Menkauhor (the seventh ruler) built temples dedicated to the sun. Then suddenly late in this dynasty without apparent reason the cult of Isis and Osiris rose to prominence. This is evidenced most notably in the inscriptions found in the pyramid of Unas, the ninth and last ruler of the Fifth Dynasty (c2375–2345 BC/ 2345–2315 BC).

Noah’s Flood and the “mid-24th century BCE climate anomaly”

This date coincides with the date associated with the Biblical records concerning the event delineated as Noah’s flood. It is also exactly at this point in time that what has been termed the “mid-24th century BCE climate anomaly” occurred. Between 2354 and 2345 BCE consistently, reduced annual temperatures have been reconstructed from consecutive abnormally narrow, Irish oak tree rings. These tree rings are indicative of a period of catastrophically reduced growth in Irish trees during that period. This range of dates also matches the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in the British Isles and a period of widespread societal collapse in the Near East. It has been proposed by Mike Baillie and others that this anomalous downturn in the climate might have been the result of comet debris suspended in the atmosphere. _{(Tree-rings indicate global environmental downturns that could have been caused by comet debris. In Comet/asteroid impacts and human society (pp. 105–122). M Baillie, 2007. Why we shouldn’t ignore the mid-24th century BC when discussing the 2200-2000 BC climate anomaly, M Baille et al 2015)}

4.2 Kiloyear Event

Ironically the date is also a signifier of what has become known as the 4.2 kiloyear event which occurred it is thought c2200 BC and whose primary marker was a worldwide drought in the aftermath of a period of increased precipitation. (_{The 4.2ka BP event in the Levant, David Kaniewski et al, 2018. See too the late Third Millennium in the ancient Near East, Chronology, C14, and Climate Change, Felix Höflmayer, Editor, 2014; Excess in precipitation as a cause for settlement decline along the Israeli coastal plain during the third millennium BC, Avraham Faust, Yosef Ashkenazy 2017)}

Anybody who claims that Egypt was unaffected at this time need only note the scenes of famine and despair depicted in the images created during this period and read the Utterances.

The Utterances speak of fragmentation

“O great strider Who sows greenstone, malachite, turquoise-stars As you are green so may Teti be green, Green as a living reed” _{(Utterance 350 Sarcophagus Chamber, East Wall).}

Note the colour green in association with things falling from the sky. Comets commonly glow green. Osiris was depicted as green skinned.

Likewise the Utterances speak of a horned object appearing in the sky. Osiris was depicted with ram’s horns. (The Noah mythos remembers this as a rhinoceros holding on to the Ark, whilst the Aphrodite mythos remembers a “fiendishly long and jagged sickle”).

Osiris was often signified as god of the dead, which should not now be surprising. The Utterances speak clearly of traumatic events,

“Sky rains, stars darken, The vaults quiver, earth’s bones tremble, The planets stand still At seeing Unas rise as power, A god who lives on his fathers, Who feeds on his mothers!” (Utterances 273·274 Antechamber, East Wall)

As stated Osiris is evidently a cometary metaphor. In addition he is intimately associated with the constellation of Orion which must indicate the location of the comet.

Note Osiris’ flail and flowers are both signifiers of the air-burst a and bolides

Orion, Osiris, and Scorpio

“Look, he is come as Orion,“(they say). “Look, Osiris is come as Orion…” _{(Allen, 2005: 107; PT Pepi I: 38)}

Orion in Greek mythology was a giant who was killed by a Scorpion following his threat to kill humanity. The Jewish Sefer Yetzirah Book or Book of Creation identifies Mars (Ares) as Scorpio’s ruling planet, whilst Greek mythology portrays Ares as the lover of Aphrodite. The story of Noah does not include a scorpion but the portion of the Jewish text dealing with Noah’s Flood, Noach, is always read at the beginning of the month of Cheshvan (Scorpio).

Jewish mythology knows of two stars falling to earth as the cause of Noah’s flood. They are said to have come from khima. Khima has generally been interpreted as the Pleiades, but as Ehud Bar Sinai demonstrates the constellation in question was in his view most probably Scorpio. _{(What is Kima? An Astronomical perspective on the Talmudic passage in tractate Berachot 58b, 2016)}

Their initial identification as being the Pleiades dates back to when the Septuagint was translated into Greek in the middle of the third century BC and when the Jewish translators seem to have deliberately added errors to the text. The translation itself was certainly never accepted by subsequent generations of Jews.

Egyptian accounts speak of Isis giving birth to Osiris’s son Horus following Osiris’ murder by Seth who cut him into pieces and scattered them. (In Greek mythology Aphrodite gave birth to Eros.) The place of Horus’s birth is called Khemmis. Note the similarity of the name to khima the place where the two stars came from which caused Noah’s Flood.

Be that as it may, in Greek mythology all 3 constellations were inter-related. Orion saw the Pleiades, fell in love with them and gave chase. The 7 Pleiades, call out to Zeus who rescues them by turning them into doves so they can fly away, and then into constellation bearing their name. Orion was stung by a Scorpion as a punishment for chasing the seven sisters. The constellations of Orion and the Pleiades were arranged in the sky in such a way that Orion seems to be in constant pursuit of the seven sisters, whilst the constellation of Scorpio in its turn always appears to be chasing Orion.

Early fifth-century BC statue of Aphrodite from Cyprus, showing her wearing a cylinder crown and holding a dove. _{(Neues Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)}

Dove

Significantly the dove also appears not only in the myth of Noah but also as a prominent symbol in the rituals relating to Aphrodite, Innana, Ishtar, Asherah, and Isis. _{(See for example Birds for Isis: The evidence from Pompeii, Demarchi, Bea, 2023)}. Jacob Bryant in volume his work entitled A New System or Analysis of Mythology, 1774-76, collected many curious facts concerning the connection of doves to Noah’s Flood without realising that they were a metaphor for a celestial event

Pindar in his Second Nemean Ode significantly refers to the constellation of the Pleiades as doves Peleiades. This implies that he was well aware of the meaning of the symbolism attached to deities such as Aphrodite and their affinity to doves and that it was not just a poetic metaphor but a reference to the constellation.

Hesiod

Hesiod mentions the Pleiades several times in his Works and Days. Since they are primarily winter stars, they featured prominently in the ancient agricultural calendar. He writes:

“And if longing seizes you for sailing the stormy seas,
when the Pleiades flee mighty Orion
and plunge into the misty deep
and all the gusty winds are raging,
then do not keep your ship on the wine-dark sea
but, as I bid you, remember to work the land.” (Works and Days 618–623)

The Pleiades would “flee mighty Orion and plunge into the misty deep” as they set in the West, which they would begin to do just before dawn during October–November.

Drought

A notable part of the story is that the Pleiades killed themselves because of the loss of their sisters, the Hyades _{(Hyginus, Astronomica, 2.21.4)}. The Hyades were a metaphor for rain and this story is evidently a metaphor for the drought that followed the cataclysm of 2345 BC in c 2200 BC.

Noah, Osiris, and Aphrodite

Although the stories of Noah, Osiris, and Aphrodite appear to be totally unrelated they are evidently metaphors for the same celestial event. The Osiris texts cryptically refer to the passage of two boats. They also refer to the time when Osiris was “shut up in his coffin” and when that coffin was set afloat on the waters, as stated by Plutarch. This agrees exactly with the period when Noah entered the ark. That time was “the 17th day of the month Athyr, when the overflowing of the Nile had ceased, when the nights were growing long and the days decreasing.” The period, too, that Osiris was believed to have been shut up in his coffin, was precisely the same as Noah was confined in the ark, a whole year. _{(Isis and Osiris, Plutarch)}

Note a potential parallel in the Chronos-Aphrodite myth:

“The genitalia themselves, freshly cut with flint, were thrown Clear of the mainland into the restless, white-capped sea, Where they floated a long time. A white foam from the god-flesh Collected around them, and in that foam a maiden developed And grew.” _{(Hesiod, Theogony)}

It would appear that Noah’s arc and the genitalia were both metaphors for the same event. Is that the reason for the Jewish version stating that the Arc contained specimens of all living creatures: semen?

Anagogia

Likewise there was a little known festival of Aphrodite in antiquity where she was celebrated for going into Africa (Egypt) known as the Anagogia. It was a festival celebrated at Eryx, in Sicily, in her honour. The time of year when it took place is unknown. It was believed that, during this festival, when the goddess went over into Africa, that all the pigeons of the town and its neighbourhood likewise departed and accompanied her (Aelian, Hist. An. IV.2, V. H. I.14; Athenaeus. IX p394). .

Athenaeus writes: “On Mount Eryx, in Sicily, there is a stated time, called the Festival of Embarkation, when, they say, the goddess? embarks for Libya. On that occasion the pigeons which flock about the place disappear as if they had joined the goddess in her journey. And after nine days, at the so called Festival of Debarkation, one pigeon flies forth out of the sea and alights upon the temple, and then all the rest appear. Thereupon all the inhabitants round about who enjoy ample means begin to feast, while the rest applaud joyfully, and the whole place smells of butter,?which they employ as a sign of the goddess’s return” _{(Deipnosophistae, Book IX.384A?399A)} Note once more the allusion to the smell which would have accompanied this air-burst.

Aelian’s version differs slightly but offers a hint as to when the festival took place:,

“At Eryx in Sikelia (Sicily), where the holy and venerable temple of Aphrodite stands, the inhabitants of Eryx at a certain season of the year celebrate with sacrifice the Anagogia (the Embarkation), and they say that Aphrodite departs from Sikelia for Libya. At that time the pigeons (piresterai) disappear from the locality as if they were departing with the goddess. For the rest of the year, however, it is a known fact that a great number of these birds are found at the temple.” _{(Historical Miscellany 1. 15)}

Turtle doves were depicted as pulling Aphrodite’s chariot. These birds nest in Cyprus and migrate to Africa in the autumn, which therefore indicates that this was an autumn festival.

This would align the event more or less with the annual Athenian Festival of the Dead, the Genesia. _{(Genesia. A Forgotten Festival of the Dead, F Jacoby,1944).}

Genesia

Very little is known about the Genesia other than it was festival dedicated to dead ancestors. The name is significant since it directly relates to the word for Birth, Genesis. It is possible that the festival was actually a commemoration based of events surrounding the birth or genesis of Aphrodite.

It is thought the festival was celebrated in the month of Boedromion, the third month of the Attic calendar which equates with late September- early October. It was when a number of major festivals were celebrated most notably the Eleusinian Mysteries. The Greater Mysteries started on the 5th of Boedromion and lasted for nine days. This duration reflects that of the Anagogia which was dedicated to Aphrodite. Notably several ancient sources associate the Mysteries with stars and the night sky. _{(The Sacred and Civil Calendar of the Athenian Year, Jon D. Mikalson, 1975 ; Festivals of the Athenians H. W. Parke, 1977)}

_{Winged female figure deity / Baetyl(?); clusters of ‘pellets’ around.}

_{Carian Stater c450 BC, from the JTB Collection}

The Day of the Dead

The 17^th Athyr was celebrated in Egypt as the Day of the Dead. This was the day in which Isis’ great festival, the mysteries of Isis, took place. This is also the very day ascribed to the onset of Noah’s flood in the Targum Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Targum) when “the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened”

The seventeenth day of the Coptic month of Athyr (Hathor) currently corresponds to November 13, in the Julian calendar, and November 26, of the Gregorian calendar. However the seeming discrepancy between the date of the ancient Egyptian and ancient Greek festivals of the dead can be explained by an analysis as to how the relevant calendars were formulated. Both societies simultaneously used two different calendar systems. Initially the earliest calendars were lunar, but later adjusted to become a luni-solar one. Each calendar came to serve a different purpose, the former a religious one, and the latter a civil one.

For an explanation of Athenian calendar reckoning see the work of W. K. Pritchet. _{(Calendars of Athens again, W K Pritchett, 1957; Julian Dates and Greek Calendars, W K Pritchett,1947; Postscript: The Athenian Calendars, W K Pritchett, 1999)}

Flood Myth at Apamea

Interestingly in antiquity there was a flood myth associated with the city known variously as Apamea/ Kelainai/ Kibotos (modern Dinar). This was an ancient settlement of Phrygia in Asia Minor located directly to the north of the Nile Delta.

Some coins minted in the first centuries AD within the imperial Roman world originating from Apamea refer to the flood. On one side two people can be seen within a box or container. On the left, the same characters are standing on firm ground, and in the upper part, a dove is depicted. On some better-preserved coins, the Greek word for Noah -N??- can be seen.

Apamea derived an alternative Greek name of kibotos (Greek: ???????), means “box” or container. A tradition preserved in the Sibylline Oracles _{(1.240–324)} places Mt. Ararat, where Noah’s ark grounded after the flood, in the region of Apamea.

One can readily now see that in this context the ark or box was evidently a metaphor for a comet or asteroid which fragmented. The link to the Noah mythos firmly allocates it firmly to the same event as that which encompasses not only Noah but also the births of such major figures as Aphrodite, Isis, and Osiris.

Next: Paul’s Journey to Atlantis Part Three: Iconium © Nicholas Costa 2024