Did our ancestors really think the world was flat?
From Chinese cosmology to Victorian flat-earthers, James Hannam discusses humanity’s quest to determine the shape of our planet
When did people first figure out the world wasn’t flat? Well, according to author James Hannam, it was much earlier than you might imagine. In today’s episode, James tells Jon Bauckham more about humanity’s quest to determine the shape of our planet – from ancient thinking and Chinese cosmology to Victorian flat-earthers.
James Hannam is the author of The Globe: How the Earth Became Round (Reaktion, 2023)
Authors
Jon Bauckham is the Production Editor of BBC History Magazine and previously held the same role on BBC History Revealed. He is responsible for writing, editing and proofreading content, and ensuring that the magazine goes to press smoothly each month. When he’s not poring over pages with a red pen, he can be found recording episodes of the award-winning HistoryExtra podcast, chatting to authors about subjects ranging from Lord Kitchener to Russian pianos
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