A painting by M. Raenicke of the world system of the Babylonians. According to this system the sky forms a hollow vault above which reside the gods. In the east (left) is a door out of which the sun rises each day, and a similar door in the west (right) through which it returns. In the sky there are fixed stars, meteors and moving planets. The earth is round in the form of a large hollow mountain which rests on water. In the east is the bright mountain of the rising sun and in the west the dark mountain of the sunset. The sea extends over the sky and in the south west lies the island of the blessed. Under the ground is the region of the dead, consisting of seven concentric areas.