Rainbow

摘要

In classical Antiquity a rainbow appeared before the rain, while nowadays it can usually be seen after it has rained. Ancient Greeks and Romans were not happy when they saw a rainbow, although they also found it beautiful. This paper examines the ancient ideas associated with the rainbow and the way the import or perhaps admixture of Jewish and Christian ideas laid the basis of the European tradition for a phenomenon that appears after the rain, and that is supposed to make people happy.