In the VIII century BC. e. the Greek poet Hesiod, in his poem "Theogony", described a place at the end of the earth. Gorgons live there, the god Atlas took the form of a giant mountain, and the sea rages in a huge abyss.
Hesiod's description resembles the ruins of the mysterious Chavin de Huantar labyrinth in the Peruvian Andes, according to Dr. Enrico Matevich, professor of physics at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Dr. Matevich in 2011 wrote a book "A Journey to the Mythological Underworld", where he hypothesized that the travels of the Greek hero Odysseus are about South America.
Part of the book is devoted to an analysis of the similarities between Chavin de Huantara and the descriptions of Hesiod. The geographical description of Hesiod matches this place. In addition, artifacts in the temple and local legends intersect with Greek myth.
Geographic similarities
Hesiod described the place where the Gorgon dwells in the Theogony:
Great abyss. The one who would enter there through the gate, Promotional video:
The bottom would not have reached that abyss for a whole year:
Fierce whirlwinds with their breeze caught him b, They would start throwing both here and there. Even the gods are afraid
This diva.
Matevich believes that this may be a description of the Amazon River. Or the dangerous journey across the ocean to South America, followed by a journey across the Amazon to Pongo de Mansenrich, a very deep and narrow gorge on the Managnon River. Dangerous whirlpools often occur in the upper part of Managnon.
Chavin de Huantar, Peru.
Hesiod further wrote:
The dreadful dwellings of the dark night
They are located there, densely dressed in black fog.
The son of Iapetus before them is an endlessly wide sky
On the head and on the hands, not knowing fatigue, holds.
At the foot of the Andes lies the Chavin de Huantar palace. Is it possible that this is the "dwelling of the gloomy Night" and the abode of the Gorgon, and Atlas, the son of Iapetus - the Andes mountains?
The sculpture of a frightening deity in the center of the labyrinth of the ruins of Chavin de Huantar is the Gorgon from Greek myth, Matevich said.
Artifacts
The Gorgon statue is located in the center of the underground labyrinth on a 4.5 m high column. Stone heads are located around the palace.
Sculptures at Chavin de Huantar. Illustration from Matevich's book “A Journey to the Mythological Underworld. The Discovery of America by the Ancient Greeks”. Photo: Courtesy of Enrico Mattievich
Above the "Gorgon" there is a small sacrifice room, from where the blood of the sacrificial offerings flowed into the deity's mouth.
Matevich described his impressions of visiting this place: “I saw an impressive stone pillar … I imagined how awful it looked, soaked in blood. If suffering can leave its mark on stone, this pillar embodies all the horrors of hell."
The sculpture resembles images of the Gorgon found in Europe. Matevich cites quotes from other experts who also noted this strange similarity.
For example, anthropologist José Imbelloni in 1926 compared the statue in Chavin de Huantar with the head of the Gorgon in the temple of Syracuse in Sicily. True, Imbelloni explained the similarity by the fact that the statue of the South American deity is of Greek origin.
Images of the Gorgon in America and the Mediterranean. 1. Athens. 2. Colombia. 3. Sicily (Italy). 4. Peru. Photo: Courtesy of Enrico Mattievich
The exact age of the Chavin de Huantar is unknown. Matevich says that, according to preliminary estimates, the most ancient parts of it can be dated to 1300 BC. e. The age of the Chavin culture dates back to 1600 BC. e.
Local myths and ancient Greek legend
In Chavin culture, there is a myth about the god Huari - the Peruvian version of the ancient Greek myth of Perseus, writes Matevich.
The locals invited Huari to the holiday and were going to kill him there. But Huari guessed their plan and turned everyone into stones. All these events took place in Chavin de Huantar.
In ancient Greek myth, Polydectus planned a conspiracy against Perseus. Polydect organized a banquet at which all those invited were to present a horse as a gift.
Perseus did not have a horse, and he said that he would bring any thing Polydect asked for. He asked to bring the head of Medusa the Gorgon, exposing Perseus to mortal danger. After long trials, Perseus obtained the head of Medusa the Gorgon and with her help turned Polydect into stone.
Athena and Perseus killing Medusa the Gorgon. Relief on the metope of a temple in Selinunte (Italy)