Beyond geological history, cosmological history is the expansive narrative of the universe, describing everything from the initial moment of creation to the formation of our planet. This history is framed by scientific theory, most notably the ‘Big Bang’.
Modern science emphasizes the ‘Big Bang’, 13.8 billion years ago. According to this model, widely accepted in the 1960s, the universe emerged from an extremely dense state. This singularity, an infinitesimal point containing all the matter and energy in the universe, exploded or ‘expanded’ for reasons which are not understood.
Speculating on what existed before the Big Bang presents a challenge, as physics cannot explain the cause. Some propose “nothing,” a vacuum devoid of time, space, or matter. Others suggest our universe emerged from the collapse of a previous universe, part of an infinite cycle of expansion and contraction. Another hypothesis posits an exploding black hole, a white hole. Under this scenario, black holes might seed new universes, embedding us within a fractal multiverse.
Religious traditions provide various accounts of creation, with uncanny similarities which echo the theme of a ‘Big Bang’. In the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) God created the universe ex nihlio (from nothing), and his Light revealed the waters, “darkness was over the surface of the deep… God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” Ancient Mediterranean cultures share this canonical creation myth, embraced across Europe and Africa. Egyptians believed in Nun, the primordial void within which Ptah spoke the universe into existence. Norse mythology also features an abyss, flanked by ice and fire. The Yoruba describe watery chaos. In Greco-Roman mythology, there was an endless void, “Then, all by themselves, sprang forth three deities…”
Hindu cosmology envisions a cyclical universe, perpetually created and destroyed. Meanwhile, Taoism describes a spontaneous unfolding, of the fundamental principles Yin and Yang. Does this not echo the scientific narrative, with “equal and opposite” forces?
Indigenous faiths are less well known, but not less developed. Since prehistoric cultures did not have writing, we struggle to understand what exactly they believed. The Dogon tell of Amma, who formed the world from clay and imbued it with spirit. The Iroquois speak of Sky Woman, falling from the heavens to land on a turtle’s back. Hopi myths describe emergence from underground worlds guided by spirits. In Andean cosmology, the Inca describe Viracocha, who created the sun.
According to scientists, the universe exploded from a singular point, with a tremendous burst of electromagnetic radiation. As the Abrahamic faiths would have us believe, perhaps God did say, “Let there be Light…” Likewise, Egyptians believed the gods laid an egg, from which the Sun hatched. This same cosmic egg appears across faiths, including Norse and Mesopotamian. In a sense, yes, the universe did emerge from an egg. It is hard to imagine everything condensed into an infinitesimal space, and yet prehistoric cultures did imagine this.
During the first moments, energy and matter existed as hot pressurized plasma, the nature of which we cannot define. As the explosion expanded, temperatures cooled enough for the formation of particles (protons and neutrons) which combined into atoms. Subsequently, gravitational forces drew gas and dust together, and these dense clouds (nebulae) would collapse into stars and planets.
4.6 billion years ago, a nebula collapsed to form our solar system. Gravity concentrated mass in the sun, as debris coalesced into planets, moons, and asteroids orbiting the star. These formed through accretion, gathering debris through gravitational attraction. Our planet was initially molten, under continual bombarded by asteroids and comets. Gradually, the surface cooled, allowing a crust to form. This became covered by oceans, as water vapor precipitated. Thus began geological history.
