Reply #37: What about China?! [View All]

[jakem]

Taoist artwork showing the phases of the moon suggests that at least some astronomers appreciated that earth and moon revolved around the sun. While not common knowledge throughout society, there’s really no doubting that astronomers—who were constantly observing the heavens—eventually realized the nature of the solar system. And they passed this knowledge on to their successors at the astronomical institutions. I would expect that as was also the case with ancient Greece where Aristarchus declared by 150 BC that earth revolved around the sun. Probably, some key Chinese astronomers had also reached that conclusion by about 3000 BCE. Also, the Han Chinese and Romans exchanged more than silk during the 2nd century BCE--so there was likely cross-fertilization in the astronomical field as well.

http://www.1421.tv/pages/evidence/content.asp?EvidenceID=456