In this summer special episode, while traveling and soaking up the sun, I found myself contemplating a different kind of travel—space travel. Inspired by the frequent claims made in "Ancient Aliens" that ancient myths and stories are actually describing UFOs and space rockets using the vocabulary of the time, I wanted to explore this concept further. However, I often find these interpretations to be misleading or misrepresentative of the original texts. This sparked an intriguing thought: How would an ancient person genuinely describe space travel?
Enter Lucian of Samosata, a second-century CE author who penned what some consider the first science fiction novel in history, "A True Story." In this short story, Lucian vividly describes space travel, intergalactic battles, alien beings, and even alien abductions. But rather than attempting to write a Sci-Fi epic, Lucian's work is actually a satirical critique of contemporary travel books and historical accounts. In this episode, we'll delve into Lucian's imaginative narrative and see how it gives us a unique window into ancient perceptions of space travel.
Links:
Support the show:
Music
The intro music is Lily of the woods by Sandra Marteleur, and the outro is named “Folie hatt” by Trallskruv.
ArchPodNet
Affiliates
