"The mother of our particular hobbit... what is a hobbit? I suppose hobbits need some description nowadays, since they have become rare and shy of the Big People, as they call us. " ~~ The Hobbit - J.R.R.Tolkien
I believe Middle Earth is presented as not only being linked to the real world, but as having been the history of our real world. Tolkien didn't lean too hard on this idea, but particularly at the start of the Hobbit from whence the above quote comes it shows that Middle Earth is indeed Earth. The clue I'd say is in the name "Middle Earth" - "Earth".
I don't mean to be a nit picker, have yourself a good day whomever might be reading this.
Altough in some of his letters he clearly states that Middle-Earth is our world but in a different state of time. At the writing of the letter he said that we were in the year 1960 of the seventh age. Meaning that the birth of christ was the start of a new age.
And generally Tolkien saw himself more as a historian that had stumbled upon ancient texts. As for why there are some things we do not now the origin of ex. Tom Bombadil, as for the stories are supposed to be written by the characters in them.
When Tolkien wrote the Hobbit it wasn't originally supposed to be part of his legendarium, but while writing the Lord of the Rings he decided to connect them to his earlier stories that later became the Silmarillion. This is the reason for some inconsistencies like the one you pointed out.
I believe Middle Earth is presented as not only being linked to the real world, but as having been the history of our real world. Tolkien didn't lean too hard on this idea, but particularly at the start of the Hobbit from whence the above quote comes it shows that Middle Earth is indeed Earth. The clue I'd say is in the name "Middle Earth" - "Earth".
I don't mean to be a nit picker, have yourself a good day whomever might be reading this.
And generally Tolkien saw himself more as a historian that had stumbled upon ancient texts. As for why there are some things we do not now the origin of ex. Tom Bombadil, as for the stories are supposed to be written by the characters in them.