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| Subtitle | Flat Earth |
| Translator | J. W. McCrindle |
| First Written | 550 |
| Genre | Travel |
| Origin | Egypt |
| Publisher | Forgotten Books |
| ISBN-10 | 1605064165 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1605064161 |
| My Copy | perfect bound |
| First Read | June 28, 2011 |
Christian Topography
First, a note about the Author's name. It means, more or less, 'Cosmas Who-Traveled-To-India' - which during the 6th century, referred to pretty much anything East of the Nile. Cosmas was a Greek monk who studied in Alexandria (in modern-day Egypt). He sailed with merchant crews throughout the East, however and wrote a series of books detailing his travels.
The name 'Christian Topography' is an awkward translation - it's really should be something more like 'A Christian View of the World', in that Cosmas describes both the Earth's history, and it's shape.
He argues that the Earth really is flat and rectangular, and that the heavens are in the shape of a barrel vault. While Cosmas claims some biblical support for this theory, I believe it was already a retrograde opinion at the time of writing. That didn't stop Cosmas, however, who starts Book I with an invocation 'against those, who while wishing to profess Christianity, think and imagine like the pagans that the heaven is spherical.'
Noted on July 13, 2011
Also, you should be aware that Cosmas uses the terms 'unicorn' and 'monoceros' interchangeably. I love this.
Noted on July 13, 2011
This is obviously the kind of book I go nuts for: it's rare, overlooked, but still a wild travel story that purports to be more or less true. The retelling of the Bible gets dull, but Cosmas really gets interesting when he discusses the far easter lands, and the fantastic people and animals that live there. It's very much in the vein of the original Prester John materials I love so much.
Noted on July 13, 2011
This animal is called the rhinoceros from having horns upon his snout. When he is walking his horns are mobile, but when he sees anything to move his rage, he erects them and they become so rigid that they are strong enough to tear up even trees by the root... He is altogether a fearful animal, and he is somehow hostile to the elephant.
Quoted on July 13, 2011
For if a body of any kind whatever were either underneath the earth, or outside of it, that body could not keep its place, but would fall down according to what is seen always occurring in the natural world. For if we take air, for instance, or water or fire, we find that things which are heavier than these do invariably fall down.
Quoted on July 13, 2011
Cosmas begins the book by asking us to read closely:
First of all I exhort those who will read this book to peruse it with all attention and diligence, and not to run over it in a perfunctory manner, but with loving pains to study it and take into their minds impressions of the places, figures, and histories which it contains...
Quoted on July 13, 2011