The fall of Phaethon: a Greco-Roman geomyth preserves the memory of a meteorite impact in Bavaria (south-east Germany)

Arguing from a critical reading of the text, and scientific evidence on the ground, the authors show that the myth of Phaethon – the delinquent celestial charioteer – remembers the impact of a massive meteorite that hit the Chiemgau region in Bavaria between 2000 and 428 BC.

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAntiquity Vol. 84; no. 324; pp. 428 - 439
Main Authors Rappenglück, Barbara, Rappenglück, Michael A., Ernstson, Kord, Mayer, Werner, Neumair, Andreas, Sudhaus, Dirk, Liritzis, Ioannis
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.06.2010
Portland Press
Subjects
Analysis
Ancient civilization
Ancient rites
Archaeology
Bronze Age
Catastrophes
Celts
Craters
Etiology
Europe
Field study
Generalities
Geoarchaeology
Germany
Greek mythology
Impact structures
Memory
Metal Ages
meteorite
Meteors & meteorites
Myth
Mythology
North West Europe
Ovid
Phaethon
Prehistory and protohistory
Protection and preservation
Texts
Iron Age
Celts
Bronze Age
Europe
Germany
Bavaria Germany
meteorite
myth
Celts
Phaethon
Ovid
Bronze Age
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Summary:Arguing from a critical reading of the text, and scientific evidence on the ground, the authors show that the myth of Phaethon – the delinquent celestial charioteer – remembers the impact of a massive meteorite that hit the Chiemgau region in Bavaria between 2000 and 428 BC.
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ArticleID:06668
ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 23
ISSN:0003-598X
1745-1744
DOI:10.1017/S0003598X00066680