Weather Gods and Ancient Meteorology

The first meteorologists were the priests and shamans of early civilisations. They were tasked with appeasing the gods who, it was believed, controlled the climate and all natural phenomena. This was no mean feat as you can imagine, and sometimes their very lives depended upon favourable weather.

By 3500 BC Egyptian communities were well established along the Nile where the weather was warm and sunny, and water was abundant. However as this early cradle of civilisation was totally dependent on the Nile for its prosperity the Egyptians tried to use the movement of the stars as a guide to the annual rise and fall of the Nile and to the extent of its flooding.

This dependence on the Nile led to the belief in two powerful gods. Osiris and Ra (or Re). Osiris was considered the ruler of the dead and the source of fertility to the living, controlling the sprouting of vegetation and the flooding of the river Nile. Ra was the sun god who controlled the movement of heavenly bodies, travelling across the sky each day in his solar boat.

Other early civilisations emerging at that time also depended on the weather. The flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia and the Indus valley were key for the survival and prosperity of the local communities. The chief god of the Babylonians was Marduk. Marduk was originally the god of thunderstorms but eventually became the god of the atmosphere. One of the most important gods of the Vedic religion of ancient India was Indra, the god of rain and storms.

In Northern Europe the Norse god Thor, whose name originates from the Germanic word for thunder, was considered to be all powerful, and was represented carrying a hammer which symbolised a thunderbolt. People would appeal to Thor for protection and he became a symbol of Norse paganism. Over time the growing influence of Christian missionaries demonized Thor and drove his believers underground, where belief remained until modern times.

Ancient Greek mythology included many climatic controlling gods. Zeus, the ruler of the heavens, controlled the clouds, rain and thunder. The brother of Zeus was Poseidon, and he was the god of the sea and shores. And yet another brother, Hades (aka Pluto) ruled the underworld. The sun god was Helios, and wind god was Aeolus. The Greeks had a more casual approach to religion and this allowed the Greek philosophers, who sought more rational explanations for natural phenomena, to flourish.

Thales of Miletus (624-547 BC) collected records from Babylonian astronomers and successfully predicted a solar eclipse in 585BC. Empedocles (495-435 BC) theorised that all matter was composed from four elements: Fire, air, water and earth.

Although these scholars made very few significant physical discoveries their work did initiate a practice of investigation and analysis for all natural phenomena, including, of course, the climate.

Mark Boardman BSc dip.hyp is a leading author and expert on The Weather For more information about World Weather, feel free to visit these sites.

The History of Meteorology

The word 'meteorology' was coined from a research book called 'Meteorologica' which was written by Aristotle, a Greek scientist and philosopher. This early work described the science of earth like its geology, elements, hydrology, seas, wind and weather. In the modern term, the term meteorology explains a complete science. It is for understanding the dynamics of atmosphere and forecasting weather phenomena like hurricanes and thunderstorms.

Weather forecasting was practiced since the beginning of time with more or less accuracy. Historical records show several examples of weather predicting methods based on observing surrounding elements.

Sky is undoubtedly the first indicator used in meteorology its cover and nature of clouds provides clues of the upcoming temperature and weather. The wind factor is also important and is associated with temperature and often rains. Animals and birds are also known to give indications about the future weather.

Scientists across the world since ancient times have tried to understand the meteorological phenomena like wind and rain. Many instruments for measuring wind power, humidity and rain were invented in the early 15th century.

During the 17th century, several discoveries tipped in favor of scientific meteorology. A device to measure temperature was invented by Galileo Galilei and the factor that atmospheric pressure was linked to altitude was discovered by Blaise Pascal. The invention of barometer by Evangelista Torricelli is significantly the most important discovery. It is still in use today which indicates atmospheric pressure changes that are linked with the future weather changes.

There are also other methods which have been evolved. Meteorology is a lot related with cycles and their analysis which was what Fernando II de Medici wanted to prove. He carried out a very determined program in 1654 for recording weather patterns in different European cities with a view to compile data and make their analysis.

Other breakthroughs were followed in the 18th century and science was taken to a new level. A modern mercury based thermometer was invented by Gabriel Fahrenheit. Theories about hydrodynamics were devised by Daniel Bernoulli and those theories had helped greatly in understanding the atmospheric changes.

When the theory of thermodynamics and atmospheric pressures were adapted, no real changes were important for understanding meteorology. In recent times, focus has been given on meteorological tools for its improvement and attaining better accuracy results. A tremendous boost was given to meteorology because of the technology in two ways. The first is the ability to communicate results and analysis with timing, it was made possible due to the invention of telegraph. The second is the ability of probing skies with using balloons, satellites and radars.

Meteorology is a part of our everyday lives. People are kept updated about the changing weather with dedicated channels and mobile devices. The science is still progressing and is an important element of the economy with many industries like agriculture and civil aviation depending on it.

Learn in details the history of Tecumseh and also the detailed history of Meteorology.