ANTIPODES, or ANTICHTHONES, in Geography, a relative Term, understood of such Inhabitants of the Earth as live diametrically opposite to one another. See EARTH.

The Antipodes are those who live in Parallels of Latitude equally distant from the Equator, the one toward the North, the other to the South; and under the same Meridian, tho 180°, or just half of that Meridian, distant from one another. See PARALLEL and MERIDIAN.

The Antipodes have the same degree of Heat and Cold; the same length of Night, and Day; but at contrary times: It being Midnight with one when it is Noon with the other; and the longest Day with one, when shortest with the other. See HEAT, DAY, NIGHT, &c.

Again, as the Horizon of any place is 90° distant from the Zenith thereof; Antipodes have the same Horizon. See HORIZON.———And hence, when the Sun rises to one, he sets to the other. See RISING and SETTING.

The Word comes from the Greek , against, and , , a Foot.

Plato is said to have first started the Notion of Antipodes; and likewise to have given them the Name: As he conceiv’d the Earth to be of a spherical Figure, it was easy for him to infer that there must be Antipodes. See EARTH.

Many of the Antients, and particularly Lactantius and Augustin, laugh’d at the Notion.

The latter of those Fathers is out of his wits to think how Men and Trees should hang pendulous in the Air, their Feet uppermost; as they must do in the other Hemisphere.

And if we may believe Aventine, Boniface Archbishop of Mentz and Legate of Pope Zachary, in the eighth Century, declared a Bishop of that Time, called Virgilius, a Heretick, for maintaining that there was such a thing as Antipodes.

But this Piece of History is controverted by the Authors of the Mem. de Trevoux; having been made use of, it seems, by some Persons, to shew that the Church has been mistaken in its Decisions———The only Account extant of the matter, upon which the Tradition is founded, is a Letter of Pope Zachary to Boniface; wherein he says, “If it be proved that he maintain that there is another World, and other Men under the Earth; another Sun, and another Moon; expel him the Church, in a Council; after first divesting him of the Priesthood, &c.” The Authors above-cited endeavour to prove that this Threatening was never executed; and that Boniface and Virgilius afterwards lived together in good Understanding; and that Virgilius was even canonized by the same Pope. Mem. de Trev. an. 1708.

They further assert, that were the Story true; the Pope had done nothing contrary to Truth and Equity: in regard the Notion of Antipodes was very different in those days, from what it is now———“For besides the Demonstrations of the Mathematicians, say they, the Philosophers too added their Conjectures; and asserted that the Sea made two great Circles around the Earth, which divided it into four parts; that the vast Extent of this Ocean, and the burning Heats of the torrid Zone, prevented any Communication between those four parts of the Earth, so that Men could not be of the same Kind, nor proceed from the same Original: and this,” say our Authors, “was what was meant by the Word Antipodes in those Times.”

As to the Sentiments of the Primitive Christians with regard to Antipodes; some, rather than admit the Conclusions of the Philosophers, absolutely denied the whole, even the Demonstrations of the Geometricians relating to the Sphericity of the Earth: which is Lactantius’s way, Instit. lib. iii. c. 24. Others only call’d in question the Conjectures of the Philosophers: which is St. Augustin’s Method, de Civit. Dei, lib. xvi. c. 9.———After putting the Question, whether there ever were Nations of Cyclopes, or Pigmies, or of People whose Feet stood outward, &c. he comes to the point of Antipodes, and asks, “whether the lower part of our Earth be inhabited by Antipodes”———He made no doubt of the Earth’s being round, nor of there being a part diametrically opposite to ours; but only disputes its being really inhabited. And the Considerations he suggests for that purpose are just enough: As, That they who asserted Antipodes, had no History for it; That the lower part of the Earth may be cover’d with Water; and that to place Antipodes there, of a different Origin from us, (as must have been the Opinion of the Antients, fince they thought it impossible to go from our World to theirs;) is to contradict Scripture, which teaches that the whole Race descended from one Man———Such is the Sentiment of that Critic.

It may be added, that the Christian Fathers were not the only Persons who disputed the Truth of Antipodes. Lucretius had done it before them at the end of his first Book, v. 10, 63, &c. See also Plutarch, lib. de Facie in Orbe Lunae; and Pliny, who refutes the Opinion, lib. ii. c. 65.

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