Myth of the flat Earth

The myth of the flat Earth is a common idea that people in the Middle Ages thought the Earth was flat. However, this is not true. Most educated people in Europe and the Middle East knew long ago that the Earth is round. Even hundreds of years before the Middle Ages, ancient Greek thinkers knew the Earth was a sphere.

Important historians and scientists have studied this topic. They tell us that very few educated people ever believed the Earth was flat. In fact, many scholars from ancient times knew how to measure the size of the Earth. One famous Greek scientist, Eratosthenes, even calculated how big around the Earth is.

The idea that medieval people thought the Earth was flat became popular much later, mostly between 1870 and 1920. This misunderstanding grew from debates about science and religion. Books by writers like John William Draper, Andrew Dickson White, and Washington Irving helped spread this myth, even though it was not true.

History

The idea that people in the Middle Ages thought the Earth was flat is a myth that started in the 17th century. It became more popular in the 19th century through books that tried to show conflicts between science and religion. These books incorrectly said that many medieval scholars believed the Earth was flat.

Even in literature, this myth appeared. For example, in a comedy from 1723, a character faces opposition when claiming the Earth is round. In the 19th century, a famous biography of Christopher Columbus wrongly suggested that some people opposed him because they thought the Earth was flat. In reality, the real issue was about how far Asia was from Europe, not the shape of the Earth. Scholars knew the Earth was round, and the debate was about distances and sailing capabilities.

Later writers and even some schoolbooks kept this myth alive, stating that people long believed the Earth was flat until Columbus proved otherwise. However, historians have shown that educated people during the Middle Ages generally knew the Earth was round.

Historiography of the flat Earth myth

Historical writers have explained why many people came to believe that medieval scholars thought the Earth was flat. American historian Jeffrey Burton Russell pointed to French scholars from the 1800s, especially Antoine-Jean Letronne, as the source of this idea. They criticized the Middle Ages as a time of ignorance.

Other historians, like Edward Grant, suggest the myth grew from a broader criticism of medieval times and old ways of thinking. This criticism began with Francesco Petrarch in the 1300s. The myth also appeared in books by writers like Draper and Andrew Dickson White, who wanted to show conflicts between science and religion. Artists also helped spread the idea by painting scenes of Columbus arguing for a round Earth against church leaders.