Part Two © Nicholas Costa 2025: More evidence concerning the airburst of c1327 BC recorded in the Hittite tablets.
Ortygia
Strabo provides more information about the exact location of the initial airburst:
“Then comes the harbor called Panormus, with a sanctuary of the Ephesian Artemis; and then the city Ephesus. On the same coast, slightly above the sea, is also Ortygia, which is a magnificent grove of all kinds of trees, of the cypress most of all. It is traversed by the Cenchrius River, where Leto is said to have bathed herself after her travail. For here is the mythical scene of the birth, and of the nurse Ortygia, and of the holy place where the birth took place, and of the olive tree near by, where the goddess is said first to have taken a rest after she was relieved from her travail. Above the grove lies Mt. Solmissus, where, it is said, the Curetes stationed themselves, and with the din of their arms frightened Hera out of her wits when she was jealously spying on Leto, and when they helped Leto to conceal from Hera the birth of her children…A general festival is held there annually; and by a certain custom the youths vie for honor, particularly in the splendor of their banquets there. At that time, also, a special college of the Curetes holds symposiums and performs certain mystic sacrifices.” (Geography,14. 1. 20.)
Hera
It should be noted that Hera’s centre of worship was on Samos. The metaphors relating to an earthquake and subsequent volcanic eruption appear in the Artemis cycle in the guises of a giant named Tityus (who tried to rape Leto) and a serpent named Python.
Apollo “slew also Tityus, who was a son of Zeus and Elare (spear shaft)” After Zeus had debauched Elare he “hid her under the earth for fear of Hera, and brought forth to the light the son Tityus, of monstrous size, whom she had borne in her womb” (Apollodorus, Library, 1.4.1)
The volcano in question would be that of Nisyros. Mythology betrays the original location in the myth stating that both Leto and her father Coeus came from Cos (Tacitus Annals 12.61).
Strabo names the giant as Polybotes (the herder of many) and says of Cos:
“They say that Nisyros is a fragment of Cos, and they add the myth that Poseidon, when he was pursuing one of the giants, Polybotes, broke off a fragment of Cos with his trident and hurled it upon him, and the missile became an island, Nisyros, with the giant lying beneath it.” (Geography 10.5.16)
Hyginus uses the name Tityus to describe Leto’s volcanic encounter. (The name is thought to derive from Proto-Indo-European *tewh?- (“to swell or be strong). Hyginus writes:
“Because Latona had lain with Jove, Juno ordered Tityus, a creature of immense size, to offer violence to her. When he tried to do this he was slain by the thunderbolt of Jove [Zeus]. He is said to lie stretched out over nine acres in the Land of the Dead, and a serpent is put near him to eat out his liver, which grows again with the moon.” (Hyginus, Fabulae, 55)
And indeed Tityus was hunted down by the swift arrow of Artemis, which she sped from her unconquerable quiver, so that men might desire to touch only the loves that are within their reach” (Pindar, Pythian Odes, 4.75)
His subsequent relocation, as were other elements of the narrative, onto the Greek mainland is implied by Strabo when he writes,
“Moreover, the Ptoum (Mount Ption in Boeotia. Ptoum derives from ptoma, to fall or collapse) is near, from which, it is said, a boar suddenly came forth and frightened the goddess, and in like manner the stories of the Python and of Tityus are associated with the birth of Apollo in this locality. Most of the proofs, however, I shall pass over; for my native tradition removes this god from among those deities who were changed from mortals into immortals, like Heracles and Dionysus…”
Python
Note too the presence of Python, evidently an anagram of Typhon who represented an active volcano ( see Who was the Egyptian God Seth? Nicholas Costa 2024). The name comes from the verb “pytho”= to decay/to rot/to wither. Python therefore is the aftermath of an eruption.
In this instance Python is depicted as a snake which appeared on the side of vast mountain. This is evidently a metaphor for a lava flow. He was killed by Apollo.
“Four days after they were born, Apollo exacted vengeance for his mother. For he went to Parnassus and slew Python with his arrows. (Because of this deed he is called Pythian.) He put Python’s bones in a cauldron, deposited them in his temple, and instituted funeral games for him which are called Pythian.” (Hyginus Fabulae 140) .
Parnassus
Note whilst Parnassus is currently accepted as relating to Mt Parnassus in central Greece and the location of the Delphic Oracle, its actual name possibly reveals its original location, in that par translates as at, beside, by, or near and nassos translates as translates as island or promontory. (Liddell-Scott-Jones (LSJ) Greek-English Lexicon).
Ovid describes the event as follows:
“Unwilling (Gaia/ Earth) she created thus enormous Python. — Thou unheard of serpent spread so far athwart the side of a vast mountain, didst fill with fear the race of new created man. The God that bears the bow (a weapon used till then only to hunt the deer and agile goat) destroyed the monster with a myriad darts, and almost emptied all his quiver, till envenomed gore oozed forth from livid wounds. Lest in a dark oblivion time should hide the fame of this achievement, sacred sports he instituted, from the Python called ‘The Pythian games.’ ( Metamorphoses, 1.438).
Delos- The Tidal Wave
A tidal wave was evidently generated at this time. It is detectable in a number of other seemingly unrelated mythological narratives. (See, Atlantis, the Amazons, and the Birth of Athene, Nicholas Costa 2023)
“Shall I sing how at the first Leto bare you to be the joy of men, as she rested against Mount Cynthus in that rocky isle, in sea-girt Delos — while on either hand a dark wave rolled on landwards driven by shrill winds.” (Homeric Hymn to Apollo, 19)
Ironically, due to climate change Delos is in danger once more of being submerged. (Past and Future Impacts of the Relative Sea Level Rise on the Seafront of Ancient Delos (Cyclades, Greece) and Flooding Scenarios by 2150, Nikos Mourtzas and Eleni Kolaiti, 2024). However, the author has yet to uncover a modern research paper on tsunamis that takes the c1327 BC event into consideration. It is evident that more research is needed.
Ortygia or Ogygia
The name Ortygia whilst also being an interplay on the word Ogygia linking it thereby to the earlier catastrophe of 1796 BC, and the Greek word for quail, ortygi. The significance of the quail imagery is that even though they can fly they choose not to do so and escape by going to ground and hiding in thick vegetation. Today we have the metaphor of something or someone being ‘run into the ground’ signifying thereby their ruin or destruction. The name Ortygia can therefore be interpreted as another metaphor for the incoming bolide. The name was equally used to describe Delos the island associated with the birth of Apollo.
“When Asteria was fleeing Zeus she turned into a quail which was turned into a stone which dived into the Aegean.” (Servius, Commentary on Virgil’s Aeneid § 3.73)
Solmissus
According to Strabo, Solmissus was a mountain near Ephesus, rising above the grove of Leto, where the Curetes, by the loud noise of their arms, prevented Hera fro hearing the cries of Leto when she gave birth to the twins. (Strabo xiv)
House of the Virgin Mary
Notably on Mount Solmissos there is a structure known as the ‘House of the Virgin Mary’ which dates back to the first century AD. It is located near the village of Sirince which up until 1924 and the expulsion of the Greek residents was considered a major religious centre associated with the narrative that it was from here that the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven.
Mary, Miriam, Myrina, Arinna
It cannot be coincidental that in antiquity it was as on this very mountain that Kouretes/ Curetes were to be found creating a deafening noise when Artemis was born. The name Mary is actually a derivative of the name Miriam (note Moses’s sister) or Mariam (in Islam). In Turkish the house is known as Meryemana Evi or Meryem Ana Evi, “Mother Mary’s House” Notably in mythology there exists the story of the amazon Myrina who founded Ephesus, (See Myrina’s Journey to Atlantis, Nicholas Costa 2024). Her name is in its turn reminiscent of the important Hittite female deity known (currently misinterpreted as a ‘sun’ goddess) who features in modern textbooks and translated as Arinniti, the lady of Arinna
“Slightly above the sea, is also Ortygia, which is a magnificent grove of all kinds of trees, of the cypress most of all. It is traversed by the Kenchrios River, where Leto is said to have bathed herself after her travail. For here is the mythical scene of the birth, and of the nurse Ortygia, and of the holy place where the birth took place, and of the olive tree near by, where the goddess is said first to have taken a rest after she was relieved from her travail. Above the grove lies Mt. Solmissos, where, it is said, the Kouretes stationed themselves, and with the din of their arms frightened Hera out of her wits when she was jealously spying on Leto, and when they helped Leto to conceal from Hera the birth of her children.” (Strabo, Geography 14. 1. 20)
The House of the Virgin Mary
The Vatican has recognized this small house in the Solmissos Mountains as the final resting place of the Virgin Mary. It is venerated by both Christians and Muslims. It would appear that there had been a tradition of venerating the building long before foreigners tracked it down in 1881. According to Amelia Gallagher the site has been sacred for at least 2,000 years (Mary’s House in Ephesus, Turkey, Gallagher, Amelia 2016)
Until 1924, Sirince the nearest town, some 17 kilometers distant, was mainly inhabited by Christian Greeks and served as an important trading centre for the surrounding monasteries and was considered a religious centre, associated with the legend that the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven here. The native Greek inhabitants were expelled from Turkey wholesale following the Greek-Turkish War of 1919-1922.
While Jerusalem had long claimed Mary’s tomb, the Victorian proponents of the Ephesus theory emphasized an early-Church tradition based on the crucifixion scene of the Gospel of John in which Jesus commissions the disciple John with the care of his mother. According to Poulin, Sirince villagers had made a pilgrimage to the site every year on 15 August in commemoration of Mary’s Dormition. They claimed it to be an isolated tradition and that the village of Sirince was the only known community, Christian or Muslim, undertaking pilgrimage to this particular sanctuary.
Birth of Athene (c1796 BC) and Mary’s Dormition
The date of Mary’s Dormition 15th August curiously coincides with the time of year when the birth of the goddess Athene was celebrated in antiquity. Her birth was celebrated in at the Panathenaia, in the month of Hekatombaeon. The principal day was the third from the end of Hecatombaeon. Proclus (in Plato. Timaeus. 17b) says so expressly of the Greater: and this agrees with the Scholast on Homer. Il. viii. 39, where Athena is said to have been born on that day. The day is currently approximately equated to August 13th.
The Perseids and Comet Swift-Tutle
Notably, mid-July to late August is when the Perseid meteor shower occurs. The Perseids are a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift–Tuttle. They are called the Perseids because they appear from the general direction of the constellation Perseus. The Perseids are one of the brighter meteor showers of the year. They occur every year between July 17 and August 24 and currently tend to peak around August 9-13.
Comet Swift–Tuttle is by far the largest near-Earth object (Apollo or Aten asteroid or short-period comet) which crosses Earth’s orbit and makes repeated close approaches to Earth. The comet has been described as “the single most dangerous object known to humanity”.(Impact!: The Threat of Comets and Asteroids; G. L. Verschuur, 1997 )
In mythology Athena was depicted as the goddess who helped Perseus kill the gorgon Medusa who in this instance was a metaphor for a flaming bolide. (see Saint Paul’s Journey to Atlantis- Iconium, the Birth of Athene, Plato and the Whirling Dervishes. Nicholas Costa 2025)
Queens of Heaven/ Urania
The major ancient female deities were invariably ascribed with the epithet ‘Queen of Heaven’. Thus it was applied to Isis, Ishtar, Inanna, Anat, Nut, Astarte, Asherah, Hera, Artemis and Athene. This title was ultimately applied by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Church to Mary the mother of Jesus. Mary in effect became a synthesis of all past meteoric manifestations.
Notably Artemis’s birthday was celebrated on the 6th May (6. Thargelion) in antiquity. In the 2nd century at Ephesus the entire month was named after the goddess, Artemision, and was declared a non-working holiday.
There was actually more to this development than hitherto recognised.
Eta Aquarids and Halley’s Comet
The Eta Aquarids are a meteor shower which currently occurs between April 20 to May 21. It peaks on the night of May 5-6th. Eta Aquarid meteors are known for their speed, with the meteors traveling at about 65.4 kilometers (40.7 miles ) per second into Earth’s atmosphere. Fast meteors can leave glowing “trains” (incandescent bits of debris in the wake of the meteor) which last for several seconds to minutes. During the peak of the Eta Aquarids about 50 meteors can be seen per hour. The parent of the shower is significantly Halley’s Comet. The comet is the parent of both the Eta Aquarids in May and the Orionids in October.
Sothic Cycle and Ephesus
The Roman governor Carus Pedo produced an edict which celebrated the fame of Artemis’ cult and declared that all the days of one month (Artemision) should be sacred and dedicated to this guardian goddess. (Die Inschriften von Ephesos 24a-b [SIG3867a-b] )
Although currently dated to c162 to 164 AD the roots of the edict stretch further back in time and actually culminate during the reigns of Hadrian who was Roman emperor from AD 117 to 138 and his successor Antoninus Pius (AD 138 to 161) .
As stated elsewhere the disaster at Ephesus occured c1327 BC. Antiquity believed in precessional cycles of c1461 years, this produces a date of c134 AD .
Sothis
As noted elsewhere Censorinus ( fl. AD 230) a Roman grammarian and writer in his work De Die Natali (The Birthday Book) in 238 AD in Chapter XVIII entitled the Great Year, states that, “The 1461st year by some is called the Heliacal and by others the Year of God.” In Chapter XX he states that the current Annus Magnus had commenced a hundred years earlier in 139 AD. Working back from this date 1461 years produces a figure of c1322 BC. This is confirmed by an extant text written by the astronomer Theon of Alexandria (c335 AD- 405 AD). He refers to it as the Era of Menophres. Censorinus’ use of the year 139 has been questioned with 136 seeming to have been the start of the tetraëteris (Luft, Ulrich (2006), “Absolute Chronology in Egypt in the First Quarter of the Second Millennium BC”, Egypt and the Levant.) If so then this would produce a date for the start of the cycle of c1325 BC a date perilously close to the conjectured date of the natural disaster which destroyed Ephesus ! (Ancient Markers of Traumatic Events: The Era of Menophres, Sothis, Osiris, and Noah; Nicholas Costa, 2024)
Indeed, one can trace a rising interest in the cult of Artemis at this time. It was increasingly favoured not only by Roman proconsuls but more tellingly the emperors themselves. Augustus, Claudius, Domitian, and Trajan are known to have confirmed the magnitude of the lands assigned to the Artemision temple (see Knibbe, “Der Grundbesitz” 1979). This culminated in the reign of Hadrian whereby he was exceptionally honoured as “founder” and “saviour” in Ephesus. (Die Inschriften von Ephesos II no. 274 [SIG3 839]). Hadrian visited Ephesus on at least two occasions during his journeys through the eastern part of the Empire, in August 124 and five years later in 129 (and possibly in 131). The outcome of his visits was a series of monuments and benefactions given to the city.
His immediate successor Antoninus Pius also focused upon Ephesus which was especially favoured by him. (Interestingly c140 and 152 AD Ephesus along with other cities in the Province of Asia had been subjected to serious earthquakes!) In the third year of Antoninus’ reign (AD 139/40), the mint of Alexandria struck an extensive series of coinage, each related in some astrological way to the reordering of the heavens in commemoration of the advent of the new Great Sothic Cycle
Births of Aphrodite, Athene, and Artemis
As stated earlier Mary, Queen of Heaven, in effect became a synthesis of all past meteoric airbursts.
The title had also been used as an epithet for Aphrodite and a number of earlier equivalent goddesses such as Isis and Ishtar. (Encyclopedia of Catholicism, Frank K. Flinn, J. Gordon Melton, 2007)
Thus one finds that on the very mountain upon which Artemis was reputedly born in May, that by Christian times the celebration there had migrated to commemorate the date of Mary’s dormition, The Christian Church celebrates the dormition of the Virgin Mary on or near August 15th the same date ascribed in antiquity to the birth of Athene, whilst it has for centuries actually set aside the month of May to honour ‘Mary the mother of God’ on the same date ascribed in antiquity for the birth of Artemis!
Two ancient sources, Proklos on Plato Timaeus 17b and the Scholiast to Plato’s Republic 327a, inform us, the third day from the end of Hekatombaion, triti abiontos (I 28), was the highlight of the Great Panathenaia celebrating the birth of Athene. This was the day of the huge Panathenaic pompê, whose culminating moment was the presentation of the sacred peplos to the ancient xoanon of Athena Polias in her temple on the Acropolis. It culminated in the procession and sacrifice on the 28th of Hekatombaion, approximately August 15 on our calendar. During the middle ages, the tradition of Tricesimum, or “Thirty-Day Devotion to Mary,” came into being. Also called, “Lady Month.” The event was held from August 15-September 14 and is still observed in some areas. Thereby demonstrating a fusion between the two ancient deities.
A hitherto unrecognised reference to the destruction of Ephesus?
Callimachus in his Hymn 3 to Artemis 111 ff evidently refers to the destruction of Ephesus when he wrote:
“Where first did thy horned team begin to carry thee [Artemis]? To Thrakian Haimos , whence comes the hurricane of Boreas bringing evil breath of frost to cloakless men. And how often goddess, didst thou make trial of thy silver bow? First at an elm, and next at an oak didst thou shoot, and third again at a wild beast. But the fourth time–not long was it ere thou didst shoot at the city of unjust men, those who to one another and those who towards strangers wrought many deeds of sin, forward men, on whom thou wilt impress thy grievous wrath. On their cattle plague feeds, on their tilth feeds frost, and the old men cut their hair in mourning over their sons, and their wives either are smitten or die in childbirth, or, if they escape, bear birds whereof none stands on upright ankle.”
Notably in Greek mythology elms are associated with the underworld, and therefore by implication with earthquakes (note the myth of Orpheus’ journey to the underworld) whilst the oak represents the power of Zeus
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