"nflF( I )flluy t llmpca~l ~otbl<br > speculatiuu about my~Icrious l~olnan wrli(，tN [n ll1( (lJc ，i]<br > lands and taraway places Unles， the prey1 Ig<br > lnthel5fllcentury， there attthority~asA st)lie Inhi~<br > was not always a clear opinion， which was shared h.~<br > separation between literary Roman writers such as<br > inrage and geographical fact. Seneca and Pliny， the earth s<br > In the vast uncharted oceans land surface was extreinely<br > that surrounded the known vast， and only a narrow sea<br > land masses - Europe， Africa， separated Europe and Asia.<br > Asia - maybe there really But the Aristotelian view<br > were fearsome whirlpools， was directly challenged at the<br > and giant sea monsters， and<br > magnetic reefs that could pull Ancient scholars knew that tile<br > iron nails out of ships hulls， world was round， and so did 15th-<br > To be sure， many century Europeans. The r belief<br > superstitions and myths from was confi)med by classical<br > earlier ages had already been writings， and also by experience<br > discredited. Educated As can be seen from this 15th<br > Europeans knew that the centtny drawing， Colt rebus <br > contemporaries had observed that<br > world was round， and they objects "sink"over the horizon as<br > were aware that Portuguese n resuh of the cun， ature of the<br > voyagers to the African earth.<br > tropics had seen many people beginning of the 15 th<br > and lush vegetation in the century. Renaissance<br > Torrid Zone which ancient scholars rediscovered the<br > writers had described as writings of Ptolemy， the<br > uninhabitable. Greek astronomer and<br > Still， most of the earth s geographer who lived in the<br > geography， and even the 2nd century A.O. His treatise<br > precise outlines of Europe on geography was translated<br > itself， was a mystery in the into Latin， the universal<br > 15th century. Most "experts" language of the time， and his<br > based their view of the world ideas - and the ideas of his<br > on the opinions of Greek and Arab sources - became<br > widely known. According to<br > 15th-ceotury Portuguese sailors Ptolemy， the earth s surface<br > expanded the horizons of the<br > koown world， but the Ocean was was equally divided between<br > still a great mystery. Many people land and water， and his<br > believed that monstrous creatures， followers believed that a vast，<br > like the one pictured below， hu ked impassable ocean extended<br > in its uncharted depths， westwards from Europe to<br > the Far East.<br > Columbus questioned the<br > teachings of Ptolemy. He<br > believed the ocean could be<br > crossed. But neither he， nor<br > Aristotle， nor Ptolemy<br > guessed a huge undiscovered<br > continent lay between<br > -"~...~ 4%z ~c-.~:... ;c:~i， ~ ~:!i.:!~i!i~.:~" Europe and the Orient.<br >