Methuselah: oldest myth or oldest man?

While revisiting an interesting oldish thread (about a Romanian couple who were allegedly married for 147 years), I found an old link posted by myself (within the thread) that I think might be worth refreshing because I am sure it could be of interest to a wider audience.

Methuselah: oldest myth or oldest man?


(If it has been posted somewhere else, in a more visible and oft-visited thread, then just delete or ignore this thread, please.)

hey there,go to youtube and search for dr dino,he touches on a lot of things,including the topic discussed above.very interesting.....

Niether the oldest man nor the oldest myth. The oldest myth (written) is a Sumerian one about the wind god and his quarrel with another god. The oldest man would be one of the Sumerian kings, who lived (if memory serves, some 37,000 years... although I think there is also a Hindu man reported in their writings who lived longer than that.

The idea that it's a mark of legend and status seems right on the mark. We know from arachaeological evidence that there were no complex cities 37,000 years ago (as an example.)

I'm a tad suspicous of the math in that paper -- the population model is off but I don't have the time to go look it up. Still, an interesting attempt at a scientific answer and a very readable paper.

Originally posted by Byrd
The oldest man would be one of the Sumerian kings, who lived (if memory serves, some 37,000 years... We know from arachaeological evidence that there were no complex cities 37,000 years ago

Yet, since there is no example of written human language that dates back 37,000 years confirming the Sumerian story, then there is no "scientific" basis for claiming that a Sumerian king was the oldest man. Hence, myth.

reply to post by Byrd


I think the author used the "oldest man or oldest myth" title simply for its catch-phrase value.

I do like his thinking, though.
It's somewhat rare (certainly in academia) to find a person with his open minded skepticism and simultaneous respect for myths, being aware of their possible factual value.




[edit on 11-6-2008 by Vanitas]