One of our inherent traits is the tendency to weave elaborate narratives around the most mysterious, supernatural, awe-inspiring, or complex possible explanation for any unknown event. We subconsciously disregard more logical or plausible reasons and immediately start thinking about the most enigmatic one. Take this image, for instance: it’s an Assyrian artifact displayed in the British Museum, likely over 3,000 years old. It was discovered during the excavation of a palace of Ashurnasirpal II in Nimrud, Iraq.
The stone relief depicts a man swimming underwater, holding an inflated goat’s skin (some describe it as a camel’s stomach) filled with air. After this image went viral in the media, discussions titled “The First Scuba Diver” or “Were Ancient People More Advanced Than Us?” began to circulate widely. However, few are considering a simpler explanation. Think of how children learning to swim are given floats or inflatable rings to help them stay afloat—this is a similar scenario. The air-filled bag is helping this man swim on the water’s surface. This interpretation aligns with expert opinions.
No expert has ever referred to this as scuba diving. They are almost certain that the man depicted is not a diver but a swimmer. If we delve into history, there are well-documented accounts of ancient divers who collected sponges and corals from deep waters. These divers did not use air-filled skins, for a very simple reason: buoyancy. You cannot dive into deep water with an air-filled ball for the same reason—buoyancy creates an upward force that prevents submersion. Hence, the idea of using an air-filled bag for scuba diving is completely illogical.
Now, let me provide another piece of information. The same palace contained another relief on a similar theme, clearly depicting soldiers using inflated skins to help them swim. This is where Occam’s Razor can help us think critically. Occam’s Razor is a principle in logic that suggests unnecessary complexity should always be avoided. When faced with multiple explanations for an event, one should first consider the most logical and well-supported ones. If multiple explanations are equally valid, the simpler one is preferable.
In this case, the idea of scuba diving lacks any basis in physics or historical evidence. Occam’s Razor dismisses such theories outright.