Ancient peoples knew the Earth was a sphere much earlier than commonly thought
Evidence shows that ancient peoples understood the Earth was a sphere as early as the 5th century BC, directly contradicting the popular misconception that ancient societies universally believed in a flat Earth.
Judged against reference works: claims of this kind are settled by the historical reference record, not journal abstracts.
Wikipedia: Spherical Earth. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_Earth
Reference article covering this claim directly
2 recorded entries grouped as this source
en.wikipedia.org: Spherical Earth. en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_Earth
Notes the earliest documented mention dates from the 5th century BC in Greek philosophy.
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loc.gov: The Sphere of the World. loc.gov. https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/finding-our-place-in-the-cosmos-with-carl-sagan/articles-and-essays/modeling-the-cosmos/ancient-greek-astronomy-and-cosmology.html
Confirms that by the 5th century BC it was widely accepted, correcting the widespread misconception of a flat Earth.
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