(November 12, 2023 at 4:47 pm)Leonardo17 Wrote: Before Columbus, the idea in Europe was that you would fall from the edge of the world if you went too far on the map.
Many people knew well before Columbus that the Earth was spherical. The sailors mentioned above were on group, but even Eratosthenes 1500 years before then not only understood the sphericity of the Earth, he computed its diameter to within about 2,500 miles.
Pretty cool using two sticks and a little walking.
The educated and the journeymen knew the world was round. Peasants? Nah, they weren't educated or experienced. But it wasn't a secret, nor was it unknown at all.
