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How did ancient cultures view the shape of the Earth? Flat or spherical?
The shape of the Earth has long been an important philosophical and scientific question throughout the history of human civilization. With the advancement of science, many past views have been proven to be wrong, but their profound impact on human worldview remains. This article will explore how ancient cultures viewed the shape of the Earth and analyze the context in which these views were formed.
Flat Earth Views in the Ancient Near East
In early Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures, the Earth was viewed as a disk floating on the ocean, a concept that reflected the cosmology of the time.
For example, the Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts of Ancient Egypt show a similar cosmological view, depicting Nun (the infinite sea) surrounding dry land. Israelite beliefs also depicted the earth as a disk floating on water, with an arched dome separating it from the heavens.
Greek Transformation: From Flat to Sphere
The concept of a spherical Earth was developed gradually from the earliest flat Earth views by Greek philosophers, especially thinkers such as Pythagoras and Aristotle.
Early Greek poets such as Homer and Hesiod depicted a disc-shaped world, with the Earth surrounded by a circumnavigating ocean. In the 4th century BC, Plato began talking about a spherical Earth, and his student Aristotle presented strong evidence based on observations showing that the Earth is spherical. This idea gradually became widespread in the Greek world.
Nordic Cosmology
The ancient Nordic and Germanic peoples held a flat-Earth cosmology, believing that the Earth was surrounded by an ocean with a world tree called Yggdrasil in the middle.
In Norse mythology, the earth is described as sitting in the middle of an impassable ocean, which echoes the myths and views of nature at the time. This idea has been preserved in Nordic literature to this day.
East Asian understanding of the earth's shape
In ancient China, the dominant view was that the Earth was flat and the sky was round, a belief that persisted for centuries until contact with European missionaries changed.
The celestial model described by ancient Chinese astronomers such as Zhang Heng presented a cosmic view of a flat earth and a round head, and the earth was considered flat relative to the round sky.
Medieval Misconceptions about the Shape of the Earth
A common myth about medieval European views on the shape of the Earth is that the Earth was widely believed to be flat, however the prevalence of this view was actually a misunderstanding of real past beliefs.
In fact, early Christian writers agreed with the view that the earth was spherical and often cited scriptures to support their argument. The root of this misconception lies in 17th-century literature, which led many to believe that medieval scholars knew nothing about the shape of the Earth.
The modern return of the flat Earth theory
Despite scientific evidence that the Earth is spherical, the flat Earth theory still has its adherents in certain circles in modern society, and with the rise of social media, these beliefs are experiencing a revival.
According to a 2018 study, only 82% of young Americans still believe that the Earth is round. Although very few people firmly believe that the Earth is flat, the phenomenon has prompted a reassessment of basic science education.
ConclusionAncient cultures' views on the shape of the Earth not only reflected the evolution of their views on nature, but were also closely related to their social, religious and scientific developments. The transition from a plane to a sphere represents progress in human cognition and exploration. But is it still worth thinking further about how today’s science affects our understanding of knowledge and faith?
