Antichthones, in geography, are those peoples who inhabit countries on opposite sides of the Earth. The word is compounded of the Greek ὰντὶ, contra, and χθών, terra.
The term antichthones is now used in the same sense as antipodes, but in ancient civilization, it had a different meaning. They considered the Earth as divided by the equator into two hemispheres, the northern and southern; all those who inhabited one of these hemispheres were reputed antichthones to those of the other. In this sense, the word was used by Mela and other ancient authors, although Christian writers, who believed that all people on earth must be descended from Adam, violently denied the possibility that any southern land, if it existed, could be inhabited by humans.
See also
- Autochthon, those originating from the land where they live in.
References
- This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain. Antichthones.
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