More about Muslim libraries and GOTLL

[Even Flood]

To Bjorn-Are:

Welcome here! I have some points about what you said about
libraries and Constantinople. The meagre souces I have (The
Encylopaedia Britannica) at home does mention the library there
when it was founded in the 4th century, but remains curiosly silent
about it later. And the route taken by the literature described by
Don in GOTLL is certainly an important one. But the Arab connection
is also vital, especially when it comes to Columbus and that is so
curious a story that I yield to the tempatation to give the rough
outline here.

Contrary to myth, it was well known that the earth was round at the
time of Columbus. Even the size was known since the time of the
ancient Greeks. The length of one degree was 56 2/3 miles. That
was the value that either the greek or the arabian scholars established 
and Columbus found in the litterature he studied. The unit used was
Arabian miles (1975.5 m) wich give a very accurate number. But
Columbus assumed Italian miles (1477.5 m). And that, combined with
an erroneus estimate of Ptolemy about the extent of Asia and with
stories he probably picked up in Iceland in 1476 about land in the
west weres among the factors that convinced him that the route over
sea to Asia was possible.

So in the context of GOTLL the Muslim connection is important. But
you got me curious - I will look up the Byzantine libraries when I
have some free time. And Don: It is a great Duck story when it can
produce this kind of debate - you have done both the the bakground
and the story well!

Even