Parallel Universes in Ancient History

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Parallel Universes In Ancient History</h4>

The multiverse theory is a modern science fiction favorite. The idea that beyond our universe, there exists a plethora of alternative universes, which together make up the entirety of space and time… it’s just too good for writers and filmmakers not to dive right in. Of course, we know it’s also a serious topic for contemporary scientists, as well. But, fascinatingly, despite it all perhaps seeming like quite a recent theory… it isn’t. The multiverse and, more broadly, parallel universes are actually one of humankind’s oldest concepts of all.

This is Unveiled, and today we’re taking a closer look at parallel universes in ancient history.

Ancient Greece during its prime was without doubt the most advanced civilisation on the European continent. The bronze age collapse had caused a dark age to descend, lasting from the 12th to 9th centuries BCE. But, after this, Greece flourished, bringing about the hugely successful and influential Archaic era of Greek history. It was during this time that the culture came to dominate, eventually growing so prosperous that the Greeks colonized much of the Mediterranean basin. And it was in this era that Western philosophy and astronomy found its feet, as well. The Greeks were looking up to the stars with increasing skill and seriousness, trying to understand the vastness of space. Their curiosity ultimately led to the formation of various theories, making them among the earliest minds to ponder creation. 

Famously, the Greeks became so embroiled in philosophy that they established specific schools of thought. These are important because they came long before we used science to explain the world around us. Instead, philosophy was the primary tool that the greatest thinkers applied, to muse on how and why things were and are. Math, astronomy, biology, politics, ethics… the first philosophers tried their hand (and minds) at all of them. Today, they’re all distinct areas of research. But, back then, they all merged into one, more general quest for knowledge.

Two Greek schools of thought, in particular, could be considered responsible for pioneering the multiverse. First, we’ll cover Atomism, and then Stoicism. But briefly beforehand, there was Anaximander. He lived in the 6th century BCE, born in Ionia, in modern day Turkey. He was a pupil of Thales, and later taught Pythagoras. Disappointingly, not much of his work survives, but he is credited as possibly the first to create a theory of cosmology. Anaximander believed that our world was born from the Apeiron, which translates from Greek to mean ‘infinite’. He then said that, eventually, the world would end and return to the Apeiron… at which point new worlds would be spawned. Since there is so little of his work to look back on (beyond second-hand accounts) historians are still unclear about the specifics of his beliefs. Exactly how Anaximander saw the universe is an ongoing topic of debate. But it does provide a seeming starting point for ancient multiverse ideas - including from the Atomists and the Stoics.

The atomists, as their name implies, believed that all matter is composed of fundamental particles, called ‘atoms’; a term we of course still use today, and which stems from the ancient Greek word atomos, which translates to mean ‘uncuttable’. The Atomists held the belief that the universe’s origin stems from the interactions between these base particles. Invisible to the human eye, they were hypothesized to float through a vacuum, or ‘void’. Eventually, this became a developed natural philosophy.

The Atomists were led by Leucippus and his pupil Democritus, who lived in the 5th century BCE. The pair left a substantial amount of theory behind, but it’s difficult to determine who wrote what. Whether or not Leucippus even existed is still a topic of debate. Democritus is, at least, someone we know significantly more about. It’s thought that he lived until the age of 100, and traveled extensively. He visited places as far as India, continually writing extensively. 

Regardless of the specifics, though, Leucippus and Democritus left the world with a central theory (that of atoms) that wasn’t actually proven until the 18th century. Eventually, their work became the foundation for chemistry and physics. More than that, though, the Atomist line of thinking also leads all the way up to many of today’s ideas on the multiverse. Because, not only did they (rightly) think that our world was created by the collision of atoms, but they also believed these collisions gave rise to an infinite number of parallel realms. 

It’s a key idea toward what’s known as Cosmic Pluralism, which is (and was) the belief in the existence of worlds other than Earth. Naturally, with modern observational technology, we are certain about this. We know there are other planets in the universe. But the Cosmic Pluralists saw things a little differently, even back then. For them, ‘other worlds’ were more similar to the parallel universes of today, rather than just being planets beyond our solar system. Democritus, for example, believed the universe originated from the random vibrations of atoms amidst an infinite void. This vibration caused atomic collisions, which then combined into larger and larger objects, eventually creating worlds. Since he thought both atoms and the void to be infinite, this implies there must always have been infinite universes all composed of atoms. 

These ideas were so impactful that even Alexander the Great - the legendary King of Macedon - had heard of them. Anaxarchus, an atomist from the school of Democritus, regularly accompanied Alexander on his conquests into Asia. And, from the essays of the historian Plutarch, we know that when Alexander heard from Anaxarchus about the belief in infinite worlds, he fell down weeping. When asked why, he’s said to have said, “have I not good cause to weep? There are an infinite number of worlds, I am not yet lord of one”. Perhaps more than any other moment at that time, it shows just how far-reaching the Atomists believed that parallel universes should be. 

But, for now, let’s switch focus to the second ancient school of thought to seemingly predict parallel worlds; Stoicism. The Stoics had a significantly different philosophy. For context, their school emerged a little later, around the close of the 4th century BCE, a century or so after the Atomists. This was what’s known as the Hellenistic period, generally regarded to have begun after the death of Alexander the Great. It was a time of social upheaval. The city-states of old lost their prominence and were instead replaced with monarchistic states. Individual freedoms were replaced with obligations to singular rulers. Hellenistic Kingdoms were the new norm. It was during this era that many of the most noted philosophers today - such as Euclid, Aristotle and Archimedes - also rose to fame. It was a generally prosperous time, with science and philosophy flourishing - which is a backdrop that many believed helped to shape Stoicism, as a whole.

While the Atomists believed the cosmos arose due to randomness, independent of a higher power - i.e., via random vibrations and shifts between atoms and the void - the Stoics thought the universe instead had a soul of its own. This soul was undying, and they believed it connected everything in the cosmos. Essentially the Stoics viewed the entire universe as one singular organism, and all life on Earth to be just one component of it. 

From the point of view of the multiverse, though, the ideas of one leading Stoic, Chrysippus, are front and center. In short, he believed that the universe recycled itself continuously. Since its soul is indestructible, he proposed that our world slowly degrades into nothing but, once this happens, it regenerates itself anew. Many Stoics then thought that this cycle should repeat for eternity, essentially allowing for infinite parallel universes over time. Clearly, this is a model that differs from the Atomists in one key way; it suggests a sequential multiverse rather than a truly parallel one. But, even so, we can again see how ancient philosophy gave rise to what we might today consider contemporary theory. 

Unfortunately for the Atomists and the Stoics, however, and despite the popularity of their ideas in their time, a multi-world stance was eventually discarded. The kickback was led, in particular, by Aristotle. He favored a geocentric view of the cosmos; where the Earth was at the center of all, and the stars and the heavens rotated around it. Importantly, though, Aristotle’s approach (and work) would lay the foundations for the scientific method. As such, his influence is still felt in science today, even if his geocentric ideas have since been proven wrong. Nevertheless, in ancient times, geocentrism soon became the most popular model around. All systems suggesting parallel worlds therefore fell away. Thinking that the Earth was the center of everything, Aristotle and his followers simply couldn’t allow for a multiverse in their view. Given that Geocentrism then became the mainstream ideology for almost two millennia, it’s easy to see why (upon their return) modern ideas on the multiverse can feel new. The fact is, though, that they aren’t. On a grand, historical scale, it’s more like they’ve simply come back into fashion. 

That said, it’s not as though the Greeks were the only ancient civilisation to develop (and entertain) such notions. If we head to the Indian subcontinent, there are yet more examples of parallel worlds being predicted very early on.

Here, during an Iron Age in around the 2nd millennium BCE, we also saw Hinduism become a widespread religion. Hinduism doesn’t stem from a single individual such as with Christianity, Buddhism, etc. Instead, it’s an amalgamation of a range of beliefs and, because of this, it’s a religion well known for touching upon a huge variety of ideas. And we know that the multiverse was certainly one of them, even in those formative days. At roughly the same time that the Greeks were musing over multiple worlds, Indian philosophers were also deeply considering the same (or a similar) thing. 

Ramcharitmanas is one scripture which details this idea. It’s an epic poem, written in the 16th century AD, and is a simplified version of another, much older book; the Ramayana, which was written sometime between the 7th and 4th centuries BCE. The Ramayana is generally considered to be one of Hinduism’s two most important epic poems, along with the Mahabharata. In the modern era, in the West, most people know of Homer’s epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. The influence of these works can still be felt today. And, in Indian literature the same goes for Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Both of them were actually written over centuries, and were authored by multiple people. The Ramayana, in its final form, is 24,000 couplets long, which is three times the length of the Iliad. It details the life of the god, Rama, covering his whole story from birth to death. 

Both the Ramayana and the later Ramcharitmanas reference the multiverse. For instance, one chapter has divine beings approach Rama, and ask him to end corruption on Earth. The god responds by telling them this happens to the planet in every timeline, across multiple universes. Another, somewhat psychedelic passage, details Rama’s mother feeding him as a child. When he opens his mouth, she witnesses the entire multiverse within it. It says she saw multiple suns and planets, experiencing countless timelines. In these, she saw various versions of herself, from a child to an old woman. It’s said that she saw suns, moons and planets. Kings, queens and children. All infinitely existing. She’s said to have seen the entire wheel of time just through Rama opening his mouth. Naturally, she’s also said to have begun to panic. 

What’s clear is that it was in Ancient India where the first examples of parallel universes appeared in a work of literature. Although the exact date it was written is unknown, The Ramayana is more than 2,000 years ahead of Marvel’s “Doctor Strange”, for example. And really, there’s more than just this one off story. The multiverse is actually a core concept in Hindu beliefs. 

Generally, Hindus believe in 14 worlds, called lokas, all of which are parallel to each other. These are then split into two categories, the vyarthis and the patalas - or, the upper and lower worlds - with there being seven of each. Earth is the seventh upper world, called Bhur-loka. The model then says that alongside our planet, there exist billions of other inhabited planets. Meanwhile, time is also infinite and the universe is cyclic. Hinduism says that the universe will be destroyed and recreated over and over again, in cycles called yugas - of which there are four separate types. The dazzling, baffling multiverse that appeared to Rama’s mother, then, may arguably have been a visualization of this fundamental structure. 

In some ways, the Hindu approach might be seen as similar to that of the Stoics in Hellenistic Greece, except in Indian history there was never anything like Aristotle’s geocentrism to ultimately push it out of favor. Clearly, and significantly, the Hindu multiverse is also more heavily tied to the religion that spawned it; it’s a much more fleshed-out concept than the Stoics (or even the Atomists) ever truly had. It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that elements of the Hindu multiverse can be seen elsewhere, as well.

Buddhism, for example, emerged from Hinduism, and because of this both religions share similarities. The two agree on several key ideas, such as on the importance of karma and reincarnation. More specifically, though, on the presence of parallel universes. Buddhists generally reject the idea of a god, and have one sole founder - the Buddha - but there is still a deep metaphysical quality to the Buddhist ideal. It’s said that, through meditation, the Buddha achieved Nirvana, a state of enlightenment. And, once he did this, he saw every single one of his many, many lives across a grand cosmos of infinite universes, all existing in parallel to each other. Naturally, many practicing Buddhists aim to achieve a similar, heightened state. But, even if they never reach it, the knowledge of the infinite nature of reality is a cornerstone of the Buddhist approach. 

Budhists also believe in an infinite cycle of worldwide destruction and rebirth; a model closely related to that of Hinduism. The Avatamsaka Sutra is the most comprehensive known Buddhist scripture, written around 500 years after the Buddha’s time. And, within its texts, parallel universes are discussed further. There is talk of interconnected realms, with each realm containing an infinite number of other realms, and with that setup repeating again and again, and again. The overriding feeling is that nature is far more complicated than we could ever perceive it to be. The human view is inescapably limited when it comes to multiple worlds. 

Elsewhere, and another Buddhist Sutra, the Mahavairocana Sutra, says every moment in time exists simultaneously. In today’s world, we know that this was extremely ahead of its time, seeing as it bears a lot of similarities to modern quantum physics. Particles in quantum mechanics are said to be in a superposition, where all possible outcomes for that particle exist simultaneously. It’s only once we observe them that their state becomes defined. It’s as though, at the very bottom most layer of physical reality, all possible states of matter exist; to mimic the Buddhist teaching. Meanwhile, we know through the rules of quantum entanglement, that subatomic particles are intrinsically linked no matter the distance between them. Again, there are comparisons to draw between this physical truth, and the spiritual ideas on connectivity in Buddhism and Hinduism. 

Another, general prediction of Buddhism is that the Sun will get hotter and hotter, eventually ending life on Earth. And, although this isn’t directly linked to parallel worlds, it does serve as a reminder of how close to scientific fact some of the earliest recorded beliefs get. To a modern astronomer, Buddhist projections for the sun may be similar to the death of a star, a supernova. And today, we know the Sun will turn into a red giant, eventually expanding to (most probably) burn Earth away into nothingness. The process won’t start for a billion or so years, and it won’t end for another five billion years, but it was seemingly predicted hundreds of years pre-science. Could the same be true, then, for the multiverse? We are yet to scientifically prove it… but, when we do, will we only ever be confirming what ancient minds surmised centuries ago?

Given that such beliefs were formed via religion and culture long, long before there were scientific observations to back them up, this might be creative intuition at its most impressive. Or, is there more to it than that? There are ancient teachings to preempt theories on the universe, the multiverse, the nature of time, extraterrestrial life… the list goes on. Ancient groups seemingly knew many things that we’re only now beginning to wonder about. For some, that’s proof enough to follow Hinduism, Buddhism, or to subscribe to any of the many Ancient Greek schools of thought.

And, still, there are other ancient beliefs erring toward a multiverse, as well. In truth, most civilizations can be said to have come up with explanations for the universe, in one way or another. And many of them relied on there being alternate planes of reality, in some guise. For example, the Ancient Egyptians developed their own, rich theories on cosmology. And, while they didn’t describe parallel universes, they did believe in a multi-layered reality. Alongside the physical world, there existed spiritual realms, called the Duat and Aaru, plus various other celestial landscapes in between. The Duat was the first place a soul goes to after death, from which it must embark upon a perilous journey. It was the Egyptian underworld, with a series of connected regions… until, if the soul is deemed worthy enough, it’s allowed passage into Aaru, or the Field of Reeds; an eternal paradise. With many of the highest celestial spaces, it was believed that only deities and pharaohs could ever access them. But, even so, the Egyptians clearly weren’t content to accept that this world (or this universe) is all there is. They, too, believed in something more.

Of course, this more abstract splitting of reality is common throughout most religions, particularly in relation to what happens after a person dies. The Ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia had similar notions. At the beginning of the Sumerian poem, “Gilgamesh and the Netherworld”, a cosmological structure is laid out in which the Heavens and the Earth were at one time united… but were split long before humankind came along. Again, while this doesn’t directly imply a multiverse, it does at least hint toward the assumed existence of parallel worlds.

Moving forward in time, Norse mythology had it that the cosmos comprised nine worlds in total, all connected by Yggdrasil, the world tree. Each realm occupies its own space, and they all exist concurrently - it’s just that Midgard, the human realm, is the only one that’s accessible to us. Asgard is where the Norse gods are said to live, and it’s also divided into 12 smaller realms - including Valhalla, where warriors who die a glorious death in battle are taken. For some, this can also be thought of as a precursor to the parallel universe theories of today. Old Norse was developed before the Viking age, with evidence of its existence dating back to the 5th century AD. All of which makes it the last pre-medieval, ancient culture to include belief in parallel universes. 

It’s a long journey from Greece to India, via Egypt and Scandinavia. However, while science has ruled in more recent times (and largely with good reason) it’s bizarre, intriguing and remarkable to discover that even the most cutting edge of modern thought may only be a rehash of what’s come before. The vivid ideas of ancient times are, clearly, still popular today. In science fiction, but also in science fact… as we probe ever deeper into the possibility that there may be more to this world than just this world that we know.