How Planets Were Named: Matching Traits to Greek and Roman Gods
The Romans strategically named each planet in the solar system after their gods (and one Greek god), aligning the planets’ traits with those of the
Western Mythology on a Timeline
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I created this timeline with the classical era in mind (Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, etc.). I wanted to visualize their period of prevalence in humanity’s timeline, along with other religious eras that came and went (and remained as mythology).
The timeline is simple (and interactive – you can move, zoom, click, etc). The general periods of humanity are shaded in different colors. These include prehistory, ancient history, the middle ages, the modern era, and other significant periods like the dark ages, renaissance, and enlightenment. (Though the last 4 concern the western world).
And above in the colored tabs, we have the major civilizations or their associated religions.
- Ancient Mesopotamia
- Ancient Egypt
- Vedic Period (Indus Valley civilization), which led to Hinduism
- Classical period (Greco-Roman world)
- Zoroastrianism
- Christianity
- Viking era (Norse)
- Islam
Note that these are most but not all major religions/civilizations – we’re missing ancient China and Mesoamerica. I wanted to stick to the regions that had strong influences on one another in the ancient past, such as Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and south Asia. Their interactions have contributed to the collection of western myths and religious ideas we know today.
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