The image of the world at the end of the 15th century

The idea of a spherical Earth as the foundation of the Colombian project

Abstract

The idea of an Earth round and motionless was panially accepted by Europeans, due io some Church dignities' opposition. which postulated a plain. level Earth. without antipodes. Although such a position never official. the Churc li continued rejecting Aristotle 's pagan science and philosophy up to the-lSth century, when Saint Thomas of Aquinas overcame the differences between both concepts. Duringthel-tth and lS the centuries emerged criticis mson Aristotle 'scos mology and Ptolomeus' geography. but those critics did no trefer tothe forin of the Earth. It might best ated that during the period of the disco ver)' of a New World. the intellectual elites of Europe unanimously believed in all spheric Earth . It this shared belief what made possible the fulfilment of Columbus project.