The Solar Chariot in Ancient Cosmology: From Celestial Symbolism to Philosophical Reflection

This text is conceived as didactic support material for the study of ancient cosmology. It examines the solar chariot as a recurring image used to represent the movement of the Sun across the sky in diverse ancient cultures. Beginning with its function as a descriptive model of solar trajectory and cyclical time, the text reviews its formulation in Greek mythology and its later reconfiguration in early philosophical thought, particularly in Parmenides and Plato. Through selected literary, visual, and comparative examples, the solar chariot is shown to function as a stable narrative framework for expressing movement, orientation, and order, and to progressively operate as a background structure within philosophical reflection.