Mankind and the Moon
Mankind and the Moon: The Romance That Built Human Civilization
Although mankind and the Moon didn’t formally meet until Neil Armstrong set foot there in July of 1969, the two had been engaged in a serious long-distance relationship for millennia beforehand, a relationship which stretched across cultural, philosophical, and scientific boundaries. Many ancient religions viewed the moon as a powerful deity of the night, and primitive moon watching served as the foundation for most modern measurements of time, including the first calendar. In fact, further research into the effects of the Moon on Earth shows that human civilization may never have even begun to exist without the presence of its celestial soulmate.
Being Earth’s only major natural satellite, the Moon’s gravity has a unique effect on the behavior of the planet. Specifically, the common patterns in ocean tides and rotational axes of the planet seem to be greatly affected by the force of the Moon’s gravity. In the research paper titled "Stabilization of the Earth’s Obliquity by the Moon”, written by J. Laskar, F. Joutel, and P. Robutel, the researchers argue that the Earth, due to its axis of rotation, narrowly avoids a “chaotic zone” which would have driven extreme climate instability (Laskar et al. 615). The researchers noted that without the Moon, the planet would experience less torque, therefore placing it into the aforementioned chaotic zone. As a result, the Moon acts as a climate regulator, keeping the Earth from experiencing dramatic climate changes too rapidly.
Climate regulation played a drastically important role in early human progress, allowing for the pivotal transition from nomadic travelling to stationary agriculturism. In the research article titled “Our Hunter-Gatherer Future: Climate Change, Agriculture, and Uncivilization” written by John Gowdy, he contextualizes the growth of human society as being made possible by a stable climate. In several parts of the world, Gowdy argues, the unprecedented stabilization of climate that occurred around 10,000 BCE contributed to a greater reliance on wild grains (Gowdy). Wild grain crops required consistent agricultural maintenance, which forced humans to build permanent settlements and abandon the nomadic lifestyle. As Gowdy notes, this pattern led to the growth of technologically advanced societies over the following thousands of years. In this way, climate regulation, a process facilitated by the Moon, is responsible for the first human societies, governments, infrastructure, agriculture, and more.
A clear example of a different way in which the Moon’s direct influence on societal development can be seen is through the early success of ancient Sumer. In Dario Radley’s article, “How Tides Shaped The Rise of Ancient Sumer, The World’s First Civilization, New Study Reveals”, he describes how the movement of the tides, governed by the gravitational force of the Moon, influenced the birth of the civilization. Radley claims that pastoralism, trade, and diversity of resources are not enough to explain the prosperity of Sumer during the Uruk period (~3100-4000 BCE); rather, the region’s tidal irrigation, which supplied fresh water and diversified fertile terrain, was the more likely primary factor (Radley).
Collectively, the Moon’s influence on climate regulation allowed for the development of advanced agricultural techniques, while its influence on tidal patterns allowed for fertile land and fresh water to support those same techniques. Both steps were vital towards the establishment of modern civilizations, and both were only possible because of the contributions of the Moon. It is only fitting that the Moon should serve such a crucial role in human culture and science—after all, civilization could not exist without it.
Sources
Gowdy, John. "Our Hunter-Gatherer Future: Climate Change, Agriculture and Uncivilization." Futures, vol. 115, 2020, article 102488. ScienceDirect, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328719303507.
Laskar, J., F. Joutel, and P. Robutel. "Stabilization of the Earth's Obliquity by the Moon." Nature, vol. 361, no. 6413, 1993, pp. 615–617. https://perso.imcce.fr/jacques-laskar/pdf/Laskar_Joutel_Robutel_1993.pdf.
Radley, Dario. "How Tides Shaped the Rise of Ancient Sumer, the World's First Civilization, New Study Reveals." Archaeology News Online Magazine, 21 Aug. 2025, https://archaeologymag.com/2025/08/how-tides-shaped-the-rise-of-the-ancient-sumer/.