{"id":2235,"date":"2025-10-23T09:58:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T09:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maurobiglino.com\/tecnologie-misteriose-del-passato-bibbia\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T11:51:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T11:51:14","slug":"mysterious-technologies-of-the-past-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maurobiglino.com\/en\/mysterious-technologies-of-the-past-bible\/","title":{"rendered":"Mysterious technologies of the past"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row fade_scroll=”yes” enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930724485{padding-bottom: 25px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text el_class=”abstract”]Rereading texts with a \u201ctechnical\u201d eye.
\n<\/b>In my videos, I often propose a concrete reading of ancient texts: no metaphysical veils, but objects, procedures, and machines described with the vocabulary of the time. In this article, I pick up that thread: from the \u00e1peiron of Anaximander<\/i>, understood as dust<\/b>, to the Bible<\/b> read as an operational chronicle<\/b>, passing through a \u201ctechnically set up\u201d oracle, Homeric automata, Ezekiel’s \u201cwheels within wheels\u201d<\/b>, and a flying cylinder<\/b> with precise measurements.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930712862{margin-top: 20px !important;margin-bottom: 50px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/m0fG-K8tEcU” align=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930770591{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Apeiron, ‘af\u00e0r, and ‘adam: related terms that indicate matter and not an abstract idea<\/h2>\n

I start with Giovanni Semerano. In his work on the infinite<\/i>, he challenges the idea, repeated for centuries, that the \u00e1peiron<\/i> of the early Greek thinkers means \u201cinfinite.\u201d<\/p>\n

He lines up the philological data: connections with the Semitic ‘\u0101p\u0101r\/’\u0101f\u0101r (\u201cdust, earth\u201d), the Akkadian eperu, and the Greek family epeiros\/apeiros (with dialectal variations). The error, he says, also stems from the absolutization imposed by the neuter article t\u00f2. If I shift the focus to the material<\/b> sense, the Bible fits: in Genesis 2:7, I read that YHWH Elohim formed h\u0101-\u02be\u0101d\u0101m<\/i><\/b> \u02bf\u0101f\u0101r<\/i><\/b>. Not \u201cwith\u201d \u2013 that \u201cwith\u201d<\/b> is not there \u2013 but \u02be\u0101d\u0101m \u02bf\u0101f\u0101r <\/b>as a definition: a living being of dust\/earth<\/b>.<\/p>\n

It is a return to the original concreteness: the \u201cfirst philosophers\u201d appear once again as scientists of nature<\/b>, not priests of the Idea.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” responsive_css=”margin_top_large:50px|margin_bottom_large:20px|margin_bottom_small:30px”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image source=”external_link” alignment=”center” custom_src=”https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/6\/66\/Acheron.jpg\/960px-Acheron.jpg”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930838361{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Necromanteion: technological direction of experience<\/h2>\n

On Epirus, south of Corfu, excavations of the Necromanteion<\/b> have revealed a ritual device built with scenic intelligence: narrow, dark stone labyrinths<\/b>, hidden technical corridors, echo-absorbing surfaces<\/b>, minimal lighting.<\/p>\n

Pilgrims were prepared<\/b>: isolation, fasting, a guided diet (wine, barley, raw broad beans, mushrooms), sometimes herbs and other substances<\/b> that alter perception. The \u2018spectre\u2019 evoked descended thanks to a crane<\/b> and a system of pulleys: a hooded priest, black on black, among shadows projected onto polished rock, emitted terrifying sounds.<\/p>\n

It is a perfect example of perception engineering<\/b>: the afterlife staged with the means of the here and now<\/b>. This technique was also well known in Egypt: hydraulic systems, counterweights, and automata made statues speak<\/b> and \u2018divine\u2019 doors move<\/b>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” responsive_css=”margin_top_large:50px|margin_bottom_large:20px|margin_bottom_small:30px”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2227″ alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930857330{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Hephaestus and automata: Homer without allegory<\/h2>\n

If I read Homer without obligatory allegories, I see Hephaestus<\/b> as an engineer-designer<\/b>. The Iliad<\/i> presents the bellows of the \u201cgod’s\u201d workshop obeying his word.<\/b><\/p>\n

In Homer, the verb \u2018kele\u00fa\u014d\u2019 means \u2018to order, command, exhort to act\u2019, often with the idea of immediate execution (it is the verb used for orders to rowers, warriors, and workers, and emphasizes a command-response relationship<\/b>, not a vague gesture).<\/p>\n

When in Book XVIII of the Iliad Hephaestus \u201ckele\u00fa\u014d the bellows\u201d and immediately \u201cthe bellows set to work,\u201d the text does not simply say \u201clit the bellows\u201d in a generic way: it uses the verb of operational command \u2192 order given \u2192 action performed.<\/b><\/p>\n

In addition, tripods on wheels<\/b> that enter and exit by themselves<\/b> from the divine assembly are described in detail, as are golden handmaidens<\/b> \u201clike living maidens\u201d but not<\/b> alive, endowed with voice<\/b> and mind<\/b>: in practice, real automatons. The epic uses accessible images, but the inventory is technical: automatic<\/b> systems, kinematic chains, remote control. The myth is the language; the object, however, is a mechanism<\/b>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930857330{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Buzzing arrows, \u201chornets,\u201d and skin diseases<\/h2>\n

In the first book of the Iliad<\/i>, Apollo \u201cshoots\u201d his arrows and, along with the menacing hiss that accompanies the shot, a plague<\/b> spreads throughout the Achaean camp.<\/p>\n

It is a dry narrative sequence: noise \u2192 impact \u2192 symptom<\/b>.<\/p>\n

The ancient author does not have our technical vocabulary to talk about pathogens, weapons: he records what he perceives<\/b> and translates it into images within his reach \u2014 arrows that buzz<\/b> and a disease<\/b> that spreads among men and animals. The Bible is not far off on this point.<\/p>\n

In Deuteronomy 7:20, we read that Yahweh \u201cwill send against them the \u1e63ir\u2018\u0101h,\u201d a term commonly translated as \u201chornet\u201d: the hornet stings, hurts the skin, frightens, and forces flight. But the Hebrew term opens up a broader semantic field: the \u1e63-r-\u02bf family also refers to concepts of prostration, skin disease, and collective panic. In other words, the text is not necessarily describing the presence of insects, but rather capturing in a single word the physical and psychological effects perceived by those who suffer the attack carried out with… let’s not make fanciful conjectures.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” responsive_css=”margin_top_large:50px|margin_bottom_large:20px|margin_bottom_small:30px”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2215″ alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930857330{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]This is, in my opinion, the key: ancient authors describe real effects<\/b> with terms available at the time<\/b>. It is the same mechanism by which Native Americans, encountering the horse for the first time, called it \u201cdeer dog\u201d<\/b> (a \u201cbig dog\u201d that runs like a deer); and when the train arrived, they spoke of an \u201ciron horse\u201d<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Or when, in 1947, the first sightings of unknown objects in the skies led to the coining of the expression \u201cflying saucers\u201d: a provisional label given to a concrete object for which we did not yet have the vocabulary.<\/p>\n

That is why I draw a parallel between Apollo’s \u201cbuzzing\u201d arrows and the biblical \u1e63ir\u2018\u0101h<\/b>: in both cases, we are not dealing with edifying fables, but with texts that attempt to capture a phenomenon<\/b>\u2014pain, contagion, fear\u2014with the words available to the authors. If I accept this premise, I stop forcing allegories and can begin to ask myself what they were actually observing<\/b>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” responsive_css=”margin_top_large:50px|margin_bottom_large:20px|margin_bottom_small:30px”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2221″ alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930857330{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Kav\u00f2d: weight, noise, energy\u2014not \u201cglory\u201d<\/h2>\n

I take up and develop a theme taken from my book\u00a0 Skies Afire<\/i><\/a><\/b>. When the Hebrew text speaks of kav\u00f2d<\/b>, it is not evoking a mystical aura: it describes a material presence<\/b> that arrives, settles, departs, makes noise<\/b>, and produces light\/heat<\/b>, to the point of imposing distances<\/b> and behavioral protocols. Ezekiel, for example, recounts that the kav\u00f2d \u201crose\u201d and that its movement was accompanied by a roar<\/b> \u201clike a mass of water,\u201d with the ground glowing<\/b> beneath it: it is a physical dynamic, not an ethereal symbol.<\/p>\n

Ezekiel also frames the kavod above<\/b> operational entities (the \u201ccherubim\u201d), and when the kavod positions itself above them, the structure takes off<\/b>: the cherubim \u201cspread their wings\u201d and rise from the ground<\/b> \u201cbefore my eyes.\u201d Here, the author insists on the concreteness of the event and his direct observation of it.<\/p>\n

In the book, I also show how the ruach<\/b> that \u201clifts\u201d and transports witnesses is then identified<\/b> with the kav\u00f2d: two terms that, in practice, describe complementary aspects of the same platform<\/b> (movement\/wind and weight\/energy<\/b>). It is Ezekiel himself who connects the dots, not a later commentary.<\/p>\n

Finally, the scene of the kavod’s takeoff<\/b> and movement<\/b> eastward is accompanied by space-time coordinates and operational sequences<\/b> (lifting, translation, resting on a mountain): it is more like a technical report than a parable.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930857330{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Galgal\/Ofanim: \u201cwheels within wheels\u201d<\/h2>\n

Ezekiel describes a complex structure: below, the cherubim (operational \u201cliving\u201d units), each with a wheel beside it, and above, a floor\/vault (raq\u00eea\u2018) supporting the platform on which the figure on the throne sits. The wheels are \u201cone inside the other<\/b>,\u201d \u201cfull of eyes all around<\/b>,\u201d and\u2014crucially\u2014\u201cthey moved in every direction without turning<\/b>.\u201d On several occasions, the prophet adds that \u201cthe r\u00fba\u1e25<\/i> of the living creature was in the wheels<\/b>\u201d: the same force\/breath\/motion<\/b> animates the whole (Ezekiel 1:15\u201321; 10:9\u201312).<\/p>\n

I avoid generic allegory and take the operational syntax<\/b> of the story seriously. \u201cOne wheel within another\u201d is a formula that in mechanics refers to a coaxial kinematic mechanism<\/b>: imagine two rings<\/b> hinged on different axes<\/b> (perpendicular to each other), like a double turntable<\/b> or a gimbal joint<\/b>. This arrangement allows you to change the attitude<\/b> and direction of motion<\/b> without having to rotate the entire vehicle<\/b> on itself.<\/p>\n

The text continues: they advance \u201cwithout turning<\/b>.\u201d In practical terms: the body does not rotate the bow<\/b> to change direction; it is the wheel system<\/b> that orients the attitude and allows lateral\/oblique translation<\/b>. It is a holonomic<\/b> behavior (movement in any direction on the plane) closer to a platform with independent kinematics<\/b> than to a cart that steers by turning the rudder.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” responsive_css=”margin_top_large:50px|margin_bottom_large:20px|margin_bottom_small:30px”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2218″ alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930857330{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]The \u201ceyes\u201d covering the rings are not a poetic device; the \u201cfull of eyes<\/b>\u201d surface does not add mysticism, but rather inserts a detail, a function<\/b>. In modern terms, we could speak of portholes\/sensors<\/b> distributed around the perimeter: elements of navigation<\/b>, obstacle avoidance<\/b>, attitude control<\/b>, and situational awareness<\/b> (360\u00b0). The fact that Ezekiel notes the peripheral distribution<\/b> suggests an \u201cintelligent\u201d ring.<\/p>\n

The observation that \u201cthe same r\u00fba\u1e25<\/i> was in the wheels<\/b>\u201d dynamically links the modules: what moves the cherubim also moves the wheels<\/b>. Not two separate systems (traction on one side, load on the other), but a single energy control chain.<\/b><\/p>\n

It is Hebrew polysemy that allows, but at the same time imposes, different but semantically related readings of the same term. The meaning is given by the context, which must be followed with extreme attention. Even in English, the term spirit refers to the soul or alcohol, a ghost or team spirit, and much more… Nothing extraordinary, just read carefully and with an open mind.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bWhen the cherubim rise, the wheels rise<\/b>; when they stop, the wheels also stop; when they lift, the upper platform also lifts. This is the signature of an integrated system:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Ofanim (wheels) \u2192 sustenance\/maneuvering unit (balance and directionality without yaw of the body).<\/b><\/li>\n
  • R\u00fba\u1e25 \u2192 common thrust\/energy that synchronizes the modules.<\/b><\/li>\n
  • Upper platform \u2192 load\/control center located above the raq\u00eea\u2018<\/i>.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The result is not a symbolic collage, but a repeated operational choreography<\/b>: vertical takeoff<\/b> (simultaneous lifting), translation \u201cwithout turning\u201d<\/b> (change of direction without rotation of the body), stop<\/b> (synchronous arrest), restart<\/b>. All written with action verbs<\/b>, directions<\/b>, spatial relationships<\/b>, and times<\/b>. If I assume that Ezekiel describes what he sees with the words he has, his page functions as an observational report<\/b>: \u201cwheels within wheels\u201d is not poetic embellishment, it is a snapshot of a mechanism of balance<\/b> capable of governing the movement of the platform in every direction, without turning<\/b>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” responsive_css=”margin_top_large:50px|margin_bottom_large:20px|margin_bottom_small:30px”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”2224″ alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1747930857330{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    Flying megillah: a flying scroll (with precise measurements)<\/h2>\n

    Zechariah is very clear: \u201cWhat do you see?\u201d – \u201cI see a megillah<\/i> flying<\/b>\u201d (Zechariah 5). Megillah<\/i> in Hebrew refers specifically to scrolls of parchment containing texts<\/b> from books. Depending on its use, it can be rolled up<\/b> (cylindrical) or unrolled<\/b> (rectangular). And the prophet, in fact, indicates its dimensions<\/b>: twenty cubits long and ten wide<\/b>. Translated into modern measurements (with a \u201cregular\u201d cubit of 45\u201350 cm), we are talking about an object approximately 9\u201310 m \u00d7 4.5\u20135 m<\/b>: not an intangible symbol, but an extended body<\/b> moving through the air. The text does not give us the speed or trajectory of the vehicle, but it does provide what an ancient observer could accurately observe: what it is (for him: a scroll), what it does (it flies), and how big it is.<\/p>\n

    Why is this detail important? Because it reveals an economy of language<\/b> typical of ancient storytellers: they call the object by the name closest to their world<\/b> (here, the \u2018scroll\u2019 of the texts) and then record its physical data<\/b> (dimensions, movement, effects). It is the same pattern that I find in other passages: the cloud<\/b> that \u201cenvelops\u201d and lights up<\/b>, the noise<\/b> that grows, the light<\/b> that dazzles<\/b>, the prohibitions on approaching<\/b>, the times of stopping<\/b> and departing<\/b>. Not a generic spiritual aura: the concrete perception<\/b> of something that arrives<\/b>, stays<\/b>, and leaves<\/b>, recounted with the vocabulary available. If I take this operational syntax seriously, the \u201cflying megillah\u201d ceases to be an indeterminate metaphor and returns to being what the text offers: an object seen<\/b>, described with measurements<\/b> and behaviors<\/b>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Up” css=”.vc_custom_1661934423901{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}” row_hide=”hidden-xs”][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1661934759256{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;border-left-color: #000000 !important;border-left-style: solid !important;border-right-color: #000000 !important;border-right-style: solid !important;border-top-color: #000000 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;border-bottom-color: #000000 !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;}”][vc_row_inner content_placement=”middle” gap=”0″][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″ enable_content_animation=”yes” animation_preset=”Fade In Left” css=”.vc_custom_1661934743455{padding-left: 40px !important;}”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

    Skies Afire<\/h3>\n

    The new book by Mauro Biglino with the legendary Erich Von D\u00e4niken[\/vc_column_text]