Science

TITLE
Explain how the Greeks know

that the Earth is spherical
CONCEPT
Earth was thought to be anything but sphere by ancient
people. Mesopotamians and Egyptians saw the Earth was
flat, as did the early Greeks. Greeks proposed theories and
proved that the earth was round. Greek philosophers in the
early times thought about the concept of earth which is round
but failed to give explanation about it, like what Plato believed
and shared to the people of Athens but showed no
explanation, not until his great student Aristotle was able to
show proof that the earth is round.
Greeks know that the
Earth is Round/Spherical
ARISTOTLE
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
Seleucus of Seleucia
ERATOSTHENES
CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY
ARISTOTLE (ON THE HEAVENS)
- Due to the positions of the stars and constellations

setting to change as a person traveled either north or
south.
- Pointed out the shape of the Earth’s shadow outline is
always curve during the lunar eclipse.
- He observed lunar eclipses and noticed that only a
round sphere could imply a circular shadow.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT
- Helped spread the theory of Aristotle as far east India who
conquered the world in history known as “Hellenistic” period due
to the Greek influence across the globe where the world was
thought to be flat among the philosophers in Mosopotamia under
Greek Seleucids and Egyptian Philosophers under Greek
Ptolemies.
“HELLENISTIC PERIOD”
This is the period when Greek language and ideas were

expanded into non-greek world of southwest Asia and
beyond
SELEUCOS OF SELEUCIA
- Who lived in 2nd century BC, proposed that not only the
Earth is round but it also revolves around the sun.
- He is known to have supported the heliocentric theory of
Aristarchus of Samos, which stated that the Earth rotated
around its own axis which in turn revolved around the Sun.
ERATOSTHENES
- A Greek philosopher in Egypt, used the
round Earth theory and shadows to measure
the circumference of the Earth.
CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY
- In the 2nd century AD, he created a map which shows the
Earth as being round in which was held as the most popular
map in the middle ages.
- He argued that the Earth was a sphere in the center of the
universe, from the simple observation that half the stars
were above the horizon and half were below the horizon at
any time (stars on rotating stellar sphere), and the
assumption that the stars were all at some modest distance
from the center of the universe.
Understanding the
Cosmos
Phases of the Moon
- Ancient people have observed that the moon changes its path
and its appearance within a period of 29.5 days. They observed
that the moon changes its appearance from thin semi- circular
disk to full circular disk.
- These phases of the moon are the basis of ancient calendars.
- The phases of the moon provide evidence that the Earth is
round because the shape of the shadow cast on the moon
during a lunar eclipse is always curved.
Lunar Eclipse
- Besides of their observation in the different phases of the moon,
they also noticed that there are also times where the moon or part
of it seemed to be covered by a shadow for a moment.
- A Lunar Eclipse occurs when the Earth casts its shadow on the moon
when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, where in the
moon changes into a red or red blood color.
- During a lunar eclipse, when the Earth passes between the sun and
the moon, it casts a shadow onto the moon. This shadow is always
round, regardless of the phase of the moon during the eclipse.
- The shape of the shadow is consistent with what you would expect
from a spherical object like the Earth. If the Earth were flat, the
shadow would not be round during a lunar eclipse. Therefore, the
round shape of the shadow during a lunar eclipse provides further
evidence that the Earth is indeed spherical.
Solar Eclipse
- The occurrence of the Solar Eclipse was also observed. Solar
Eclipse was observed during the Moon is in between the Sun
and the Earth and the Moon partially or completely blocks out
the sun.
- The shape of this shadow is always round, which is consistent
with what you would expect from a spherical object like the
Earth. If the Earth were flat, the shadow during a solar eclipse
would not be round.
Motion of the Stars
It was also observed that the Stars appear to be attached to a
celestial sphere that rotates around an axes in one day. This axis
intersects the celestial sphere at a point in the northern sky and is
presently closed in the northern star. Also, the constellations’
positions in the night sky vary depending on the time of the year.
Visibility of Planets
- Astronomers have discovered that Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter and Saturn are planets because they have noticed that
the stars are in a fixed position with respect in each other. But
there are very bright stars that change positions periodically.
This “Stars” do not belong to any group of constellations in the
sky. Thus, they are called “Wanderers”.
- Planets, like stars, appear to move across the sky throughout
the night and over the course of months due to the Earth’s
rotation and orbit around the sun.

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TITLE

Explain how the Greeks know

- Due to the positions of the stars and constellations

This is the period when Greek language and ideas were

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