What is the strangest way a war ever ended? Nearly 2,700 years ago, Thales of Miletus stopped a war by predicting a solar eclipse. The eclipse occurred during the Battle of Halys between two ancient Iranian societies, the Lydians and the Metes. When the sky darkened as Thales had foretold, the two armies dropped their arms and swore to end their six year war. The king of Babylon helped the two sides negotiate a peace and the River Halys became the border between the two societies.
Exactly what Thales predicted and how his prediction influenced the warring parties so profoundly is not known. However, astronomers, looking back and making a postdiction of sorts, have dated the eclipse as occurring on May 28, 585 BCE. Another aspect of this event that remains a mystery is how Thales was able to make the prediction. Greeks at that time did not have the mathematical skill to calculate a solar eclipse. Some speculate that Thales who was studying Egyptian mathematics (geometry) may have borrowed his prediction from his Egyptian tutors. Though all the facts will never be known, it is evident that, even in the ancient world, knowledge was power.
Which word means most nearly the same as "profoundly" in this passage?
1. intelligently
2. deeply
3. peacefully
4. humbly