Re: Flat Earth Chronology

[Joseph Bellina <jbellina@SAINTMARYS.EDU>]

I suppose one question that needs to be asked, is what you mean by
belief became common...among whom, the common folks, the educated, the
church leaders or members.  I don't think, either, that the knowledge
was linear progressive as your question suggests.  Further, belief is a
funny word, since the notion of sphere played an important roll in
the development of ideas.  Take for example the Greek astronomers...they
assumed the heavenly motions were spherical based on an argument from the
ideality of the motion.
 I know that Eratosthenes in 230 BC used observations
to determine the diameter of the earth.

On Sun, 24 Oct 1999, Jim
Green wrote:

> Can someone please give a chronology of the belief in a flat Earth.
> Egyptians? Babylonians? Hebrews? Chinese? Old Testament? Etc?
>
> When did belief in a spherical like Earth become common?
>
> Jim Green
> mailto:JMGreen@sisna.com
> http://users.sisna.com/jmgreen