If people thought the world was flat, Why did atlas hold a circular world?

Question

I mean spherical.

Answer 1

The Greeks actually did believe the Earth to be spherical. Eratosthenes's noticed that shadows at noon at the same time of year have different lengths depending on where the shadowed object is along a meridian. He was able to calculate the circumference of the Earth based on that and he was very close.

Answer 2

The story that Columbus proved the world was round is pretty much a myth -- some uneducated people might have believed that at that point in time, but educated people have known since ancient times that the earth is a sphere of some type due to observations like that the shadow cast on the moon during an eclipse is round, the way things dip out of view even over a large surface like the ocean (which couldn't happen were it flat) and things like that.

Thus, the images of Atlas made during and before the lifetime of Columbus showed him holding a globe because it was already well known that that was the shape of the planet.

Answer 3

As the myth goes, Atlas, as punishment for trying to overthrow Zeus, was condemned to hold Ouranos, the sky, on his shoulders to prevent it from reuniting with Gaia, the earth.  He is pictured as holding a celestial sphere, not a globe.

Answer 4

that was before they learned it was round.

Answer 5

i'd guess from european influences of nordic mythology;they all seemed to mash at one point or another. but idk for sure.

Answer 6

There is written evidence that people knew the world was a sphere. Nobody ever thought that the world was flat.

Answer 7

only 2 reasons i can think of

because atlas is mythalogical and tha story is subject to change as time goes on, wich means that tha dipictions of him that u see were probably done after that discovery

and tha when we here that people thought tha world was flat its always in reference to spain and britain but we never hear whether or not people believed that in greece