[Avodah] Shitas R"T

[Michael Kopinsky]

On 12/25/06, Zev Sero <zev at sero.name> wrote:
> But in fact that the Earth's shape and size were well known in Chazal's
> day, and therefore it is to be expected that at least the more educated
> among them, especially those in EY, knew this.  Since it is the expected
> result, references that may indicate such knowledge need not be treated
> with undue scepticism.  OTOH it's not surprising that some of the Bavli
> amoraim may not have had this knowledge; they may even have seen
> references to "kadur", by which the original writer meant a globe,
> and misunderstood them to mean a disc.

Excuse my ignorance...  Why is it likely the Israeli Amoraim were more
educated than the Babylonian ones?