The scientific origins of the Minotaur - Matt Kaplan

Prevodilac: Tijana Mihajlović Lektor: Mile Živković

Far beneath the palace of the treacherous King Minos,

Daleko ispod palate podmuklog kralja Minosa,

in the damp darkness of an inescapable labryinth,

u vlažnom mraku lavirinta bez izlaza,

a horrific beast stalks the endless corridors of its prison,

užasna zver vreba beskrajnim hodnicima svog zatvora,

enraged with a bloodlust so intense that its deafening roar shakes the Earth.

razdražena krvoždernošću toliko silovitom

da njen zaglušujući urlik protresa Zemlju.

It is easy to see why the Minotaur myth has a long history

Lako je uočiti zašto se mit o Minotauru

of being disregarded as pure fiction.

dugo zanemarivao kao potpuna fantastika.

However, there's a good chance that the Minotaur

Ipak, postoji velika šansa da su Minotaura

and other monsters and gods were created by our early ancestors

i druga čudovišta i bogove

stvorili naši davni preci

to rationalize the terrifying things that they saw in the natural world

kako bi racionalizovali zastrašujuće stvari

koje su videli u svetu prirode,

but did not understand.

a koje nisu razumeli.

And while we can't explain every aspect of their stories,

Iako ne možemo da objasnimo svaki aspekt njihovih priča,

there may be some actual science that reveals itself

može biti da postoji stvarna nauka koja će se otkriti

when we dissect them for clues.

kada ih razdvojimo na delove da bismo otkrili tragove.

So, as far as we know, there have never been human-bull hybrids.

Koliko znamo do sada, nikada nisu postojali hibridi ljudi i bikova.

But the earliest material written about the Minotaur

Međutim, najstariji pisani dokumenti o Minotauru

doesn't even mention its physical form.

čak i ne pominju njegovu fizičku pojavu.

So that's probably not the key part of the story.

To, dakle, verovatno nije ključni deo priče.

What the different tellings do agree upon, however,

Ono u čemu se različita predanja slažu je

is that the beast lives underground,

da ta zver živi u podzemnom svetu,

and when it bellows, it causes tremendous problems.

a kada zaurla, to prouzrokuje ogromne probleme.

Različiti mitovi su, takođe, precizni kada govore o tome

The various myths are also specific in stating that genius inventor Daedalus,

da je genijalni pronalazač Dedalus

carved out the labyrinth beneath the island of Crete.

isklesao lavirint ispod ostrva Krit.

Archeological attempts to find the fabled maze

Arheološki pokušaji da pronađu poznati lavirint

have come up empty handed.

završili su se neuspešno.

But Crete itself has yielded the most valuable clue of all

Ipak, sam Krit doneo je najvredniji od svih zaključaka

in the form of seismic activity.

u obliku seizmičke aktivnosti.

Crete sits on a piece of continental crust called the Aegean Block,

Krit se nalazi na delu kontinentalne kore koji se naziva Egejski blok

and has a bit of oceanic crust known as the Nubian Block

i ima nešto okeanske kore poznate pod imenom Nubijski blok,

sliding right beneath it.

koja klizi direktno ispod nje.

This sort of geologic feature, called a subduction zone,

Ovakva geološka osobina koja se naziva subdukcijskom zonom

is common all over the world and results in lots of earthquakes.

često se javlja u svetu, a rezultat je puno zemljotresa.

However, in Crete the situation is particularly volatile

Međutim, situacija na Kritu je posebno trusna

as the Nubian Block is attached

jer je Nubijski blok povezan

to the massive buoyant continental crust that is Africa.

sa ogromnom pokretnom kontinentalnom korom, tj. Afrikom.

When the Nubian Block moves,

Kada se Nubijski blok pomeri,

it does not go down nearly as easily or as steeply

ne čini to ni približno lako ili strmo

as oceanic crust does in most other subduction zones.

kao što to radi okeanska kora u većini subdukcijskih zona.

Instead, it violently and abruptly forces sections of the Mediterranean upwards

Umesto toga, ona burno i brzo gura delove Mediterana naviše

in an event called uplift,

pri događaju koji se naziva podizanje,

and Crete is in uplift central.

a Krit je njegov centar.

In the year 2014, Crete had more than 1300 earthquakes

Tokom 2014. godine, Krit je imao više od 1300 zemljotresa

of magnitude 2.0 or higher.

jačine 2,0 ili više.

By comparison, in the same period of time,

Ako upoređujemo, u istom vremenskom periodu,

Southern California, a much larger area, experienced a mere 255 earthquakes.

južna Kalifornija, mnogo veće područje, pretrpela je samo 255 zemljotresa.

Of course, we don't have detailed seismic records from the days of King Minos,

Naravno, nemamo detaljne seizmičke podatke

iz vremena kralja Minosa,

but we do know from fossil records and geologic evidence

ali znamo iz fosilnih ostataka i geoloških dokaza

that Crete has experienced serious uplift events

da je Krit doživeo značajna pomeranja tla

that sometimes exceeded 30 feet in a single moment.

koja su nekada premašivala 9 metara u trenutku.

Contrast this for a moment with the island of Hawaii,

Uporedite ovo na trenutak sa ostrvom Havaji

where earthquakes and volcanic activity

gde su zemljotresi i vulkanska aktivnost

were tightly woven to legends surrounding Pele,

bili duboko utkani u legende koje okružuju Pele,

a goddess both fiery and fair.

boginju koja je vatrena i fer.

Like the Minotaur, her myths included tales of destruction,

Kao i kod Minotaura, njeni mitovi

uključivali su priče o razaranju,

but they also contained elements of dance and creation.

ali su sadržali i elemente plesa i stvaralaštva.

So why did Hawaii end up with Pele and Crete end up with the Minotaur?

Zašto su, onda, Havaji završili sa Pele, a Krit sa Minotaurom?

The difference likely comes down

Razlika se verovatno svodi na lavu

to the lava that followed many of Hawaii's worst earthquakes.

koja je pratila mnoge havajske najgore zemljotrese.

The lava on Hawaii is made of basalt, which once cooled, is highly fertile.

Lava na Havajima je od bazalta koji, kada se ohladi, postaje veoma plodan.

Within a couple of decades of terrible eruptions,

Tokom nekoliko decenija strašnih erupcija,

Islanders would have seen vibrant green life thriving

ostrvljani bi videli energičan zeleni život kako buja

on new peninsulas made of lava.

na novim poluostrvima koje bi lava napravila.

So it makes sense that the mythology captured this

Tako, razumljivo je da je mitologija primetila ovo

by portraying Pele as creator as well as a destroyer.

kroz opis Pele kao stvaraoca, ali i kao rušioca.

As for the people of Crete,

Što se tiče ljudi na Kritu,

their earthquakes brought only destruction and barren lands,

njihovi zemljotresi doneli su samo uništenje i neplodnu zemlju,

so perhaps for them the unnatural and deadly Minotaur was born.

pa je možda za njih neprirodan i smrtonosan Minotaur rođen.

The connections between mythical stories

Veza između mitskih priča

and the geology of the regions where they originated

i geologija regiona odakle su potekli

teach us that mythology and science are actually two sides of the same coin.

govore nam da su mitologija i nauka zapravo dve strane istog novčića.

Both are rooted in explaining and understanding the world.

Obe su zasnovane na objašnjenju i razumevanju sveta.

The key difference is that where mythology uses gods, monsters and magic,

Ključna razlika je u tome što na mestima

gde mitologija koristi bogove, čudovišta i magiju,

science uses measurements, records and experiments.

nauka koristi merenja, zapise i eksperimente.