Elemental Earth was the combination of the qualities of "dry" and "cold," and possessed "heaviness," which moved it downwards. It was situated around the center of the spherical cosmos. Earth is depicted here as a woman holding a bountiful cornucopia, surrounded by flora and fauna. The three icons around the figure represent discoveries or inventions that harness elemental earth. Depicted are a plowshare, a level with pendulum bob, and a compass. Emerging in the pre-history of our species was a deep-seated sense of the earth as our "nurturing home." Hunter-gatherers combed the ground for sustenance and simple tools. With settled agriculture, farmers bonded with the soil. The earliest mathematics and astronomy aimed to manage the annual cycles of planting and harvest, and the important season of autumn as a time of bounty is readily apparent in this depiction. Other metaphysical attributes associated with the element include stability, heaviness, fertility and nurturing. In ancient Greek medicine, black bile, or the melancholic humor, was equated with elemental earth. This element is so fundamental that many societies identified our globe as, literally, the earth.
