"MYTHCONCEPTIONS: THE FLAT EARTH by MatC THE MYTH: In the Middle Ages people believed the Earth was discoid, until Columbus, fount of all enlightenment, proved them wrong. This idiocy was a consequence of the cultural darkness which enveloped the world between the fall of the Roman Empire and the coming of the new European empires. THE "TRUTH": No-one doubts that our planet’s sphericity was generally accepted by the 4th century BC; the question is, was this understanding lost as superstition conquered science in later days? There seems no reason to think so. ‘Round Earth’ maps survive from the later medieval period, and recent researchers have failed to uncover any significant pre-Columbian European writers who took the pro-disc position; nor is there any evidence that the uneducated masses believed in a flat Earth. This myth was probably born in the second half of the 19th century, perhaps as part of a general Victorian reverence for the classical world, and an accompanying contempt for all that came after. SOURCES: Encyclopaedia Britannica online at britannica, and a review (author and source unknown) of an essay, ‘The late birth of the Flat Earth,’ by Stephen Jay Gould in a book called _Dinosaur in a haystack_. DISCLAIMER: So, were our early ancestors as daft as our recent ancestors claimed? FT doesn’t pretend to know for sure - nor do we much care whether the Earth is flat or not, as long as our drinks don’t get spilt in orbit - but if you can add to the debate concerning Flat Earth _belief_, we’d love to hear from you.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 09:48:41 +0000
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