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Peter Edwell, Associate Professor in Ancient History, Macquarie University

Where did the ancient Greeks and Romans think lightning came from? Hint: not just the gods

Is it any wonder ancient people thought lightning came from the gods? Even today a close lightning strike feels like a terrifying brush with the supernatural.

Some ancient thinkers, however, suspected the gods had nothing to do with it.

They wondered, centuries ahead of their time, if lightning was related somehow to the movement of air and clouds.

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