During his time at the Library of Alexandria, Eratosthenes devised a calendar using his predictions about the, He was also very proud of his solution for. He also measured the degree of obliquity of the ecliptic (in effect, the tilt of Earths axis) and wrote a treatise on the octateris, an eight-year lunar-solar cycle. The contributions of eratosthenes. If you ask any geographer to name a person who was responsible for the founding of their discipline, theyre likely to say, Ptolemy. Claudius Ptolemaeus lived in second-century Alexandria from 100 AD to 170 AD, writing the Geographike hyphegesis (c150), also known as the Geography. He made maps, both of the world and sky and is said to have made a map that included 675 stars. In Alexandria, also in Egypt, at the same date and time, sunlight fell at an angle of about 7.2 from the vertical. In addition to calculating Earths circumference, Eratosthenes created the Sieve of Eratosthenes (a procedure for finding prime numbers), tried to fix the dates of literary and political events since the siege of Troy, and is thought to have created the armillary sphere (an early astronomical device for representing the great circles of the heavens). He sketched, quite accurately, the route of the Nile to Khartoum, showing the two Ethiopian tributaries. ", Zhumud, Leonid. Eratosthenes noted that at Alexandria, at the same date and time, sunlight fell at an angle of about 7.2 from the vertical. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2012-2023 On Secret Hunt - All Rights Reserved He accepted the three continents (Europe, Asia, and Libya) and five climatic zones (one torrid zone, two temperate zones, and two frigid zones), [2] The term geography was first coined by Eratosthenese. In mathematics, the sieve of Eratosthenes (Greek: ), one of a number of prime number sieves, is a simple, ancient algorithm for finding all prime numbers up to any given limit. 2. Eratosthenes was called Beta (the second letter of the Greek alphabet) because he was never first, but he is more famous than his Alpha teachers because his discoveries are still used today. Eratosthenes followed in the footsteps of other academics in his city and trained with Lysanias, an expert in grammar. The measurement of the Sun-Earth distance, now called the astronomical unit (804,000,000 stadia, 1 stadion varies from 157 to 209 meter). He has written works on geography, philosophy, history, astronomy, mathematics, and literary criticism. Eratosthenes, in full Eratosthenes of Cyrene, (born c. 276 bce, Cyrene, Libyadied c. 194 bce, Alexandria, Egypt), Greek scientific writer, astronomer, and poet, who made the first measurement of the size of Earth for which any details are known. Eratosthenes was born in approximately 276 BC. Contributions of Greeks in the field of Physical Geography: The Greeks made remarkable development in the field of physical geography. He was a man of learning, becoming the chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria. The Greeks made tremendous advancements in the fields of geomorphology, climatology and oceanography. Eratosthenes also wrote Olympic Victors, a chronology of the winners of the Olympic Games. A librarian named Hipparchus later placed lines of longitude at regular intervals, and this was improved even more by Ptolemy, who added cardinal directions and divided degrees into minutes and seconds. The estimate is over 99 percent of the actual distance of 40,008 km. Eratosthenes' method of measuring Earth's circumference, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eratosthenes, Famous Scientists - Biography of Eratosthenes, Ancient History Encyclopedia - Biography of Eratosthenes, Eratosthenes - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). 5 best Master's degrees in Clinical and Health Psychology to study in Spain, The 40 phrases of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, 7 keys for someone to open up more to you, The 10 most romantic cities on the planet, Social behavior: definition and explanatory theories, Postcoital dysphoria: symptoms, causes and treatment, Scriptophobia: symptoms, causes and treatment, Nematodes: characteristics, classification, reproduction, nutrition, Specialized texts: characteristics, structure, types, examples. The book written by him describes the ekumene (inhabited) world. [2], Eratosthenes believed there was both good and bad in every nation and criticized Aristotle for arguing that humanity was divided into Greeks and barbarians, as well as for arguing that the Greeks should keep themselves racially pure. The first spot has to go to the man who coined the term geography, Eratosthenes (c. 275-194 BC). Although Eratosthenes method was well founded, the accuracy of his calculation was inherently limited. [5] He adopted view of Aristotle & regarded the shape of the earth as sphere. The first person to determine the size of Earth was Eratosthenes of Cyrene, who produced a surprisingly good measurement using a simple scheme that combined geometrical calculations with physical observations. Modern Geographys founder, Alexander von Humboldt. Eratosthenes was well acquainted with the extent of the Red sea, which he described as extending for about 9000 stadia (900 miles) from the head of Gulf of Suez to the Bab-al-Mandab. Some time ago he had gone blind from cataracts and is believed to have committed suicide by starvation. Guillaumin (eds.). The Greeks made tremendous advancements in the fields of geomorphology, climatology and oceanography. Arab and Muslim Contribution to Geography To begin with, most Muslim geographers such as Al- [1] However, his Geography has been lost to history, although fragments of the work can be pieced together from other great historians like Pliny, Polybius, Strabo, and Marcianus. He developed systems of latitudes and longitudes and ascertained accurate length of equator using Gnomon. To calculate the circumference of the earth Eratosthenes used a method that has been used until our time, this consists of measuring a meridian. He returned to Cyrene and made such a name for himself in scholarly endeavors that the Greek ruler of Egypt brought him to Alexandria to tutor his son. Ptolemys most significant geographical innovation was the record of longitudes and latitudes in degrees on his world map for roughly 8,000 locations, allowing him to create an exact duplicate of his map. I. Eratosthenes made maps, both of the world and sky and is said to have made a map that includes 675 stars. Eratosthenes (D.W.) Roller (ed., Trans.) Scientific Oceanography James Cook - 1768- HMS Endeavor very talented navigator, cartographer, writer, artist diplomat, sailor, scientist, dietition Scientific Contributions: 1. He published a book that he called GeographikaIt was there that he first coined the term geography. Using the precise data that Tycho had collected, Kepler discovered that the orbit of Mars was an ellipse. Of the four people named as his students in Suda, three cannot be identified with certainty and were therefore hardly important scientists. It does so by iteratively marking as composite, i.e., not prime, the multiples of each prime, starting with the multiples of 2. Aristotle was a friend of Eratosthenes and collaborated with the mathematical calculations for the creation of the mesolabe. Later, the Greeks speculated on the idea that the earth was round. At Syene (now Aswn), some 800 km (500 miles) southeast of Alexandria in Egypt, the Suns rays fall vertically at noon at the summer solstice. Aristarchus was one of the first astronomers to calculate the relative sizes of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth. Definition. Name the major oceans and their main characteristics. He also suggested that lakes were the source of the river. Despite not having a prominent ancestry, Eratosthenes did come from a city that had achieved recognition by the men who were born in it. 2011. Research into physical oceanography included Strabo, who observed volcanic activity and concluded that land was not totally static. Systmone Remote Access, in, Chondros, Thomas G. Archimedes Life Works and Machines. Arabs were highly influenced by the Greek ideas about the shape and size of the earth. He was a follower of Aristotle in his belief about the spherical shape of the Earth which he considered to be placed in the centre of the universe. Eratosthenes' other contributions include: The Sieve of Eratosthenes as a way of finding prime numbers. Boldly, they also sailed across the open ocean to settle Iceland and Greenland, even landing in North Americabecoming the first Europeans to do so. In the 1960's, Eratosthenes crater was identified by Gene Shoemaker and Robert Hackman as a key stratigraphic marker delimiting the longest period (Eratosthenian) of the lunar timescale, thought to range from about 3.2 to 1.1 billion years old! Hipparchus divided the Earth's surface into 360 degrees. He calculated the Earths circumference. Despite his great contributions to science, his work was not replicated by many others, apparently because he did not get enough students to pass on his discoveries and theories. The children were trained from the age of seven in subjects such as literature, sports and music. Eratosthenes was a lover of the theater and wrote a series of twelve books which he titled Old Comedy. Eratosthenes also calculated the Sun's diameter. Unfortunately, there are no documents left of his work after the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. He found the circumference of the Earth to be nearly 250,000 stadia (25,000 miles). The Handy Geography Answer Book traces the history of geography from Eratosthenes and Alexander von Humboldt to latitude and longitude, and the latest advances in the Global Positioning System (GPS). However, a simplified version of the method has been preserved, as described by Cleomedes.[15]. In the Geography the names of over 400 cities and their locations were shown, which had never been achieved before. Islandwide Breakfast Delivery, Fragments Collected and Translated, with Commentary and Additional Material. Eratosthenes of Cyrene (/ r t s n i z /; Greek: [eratostns]; c. 276 BC - c. 195/194 BC) was a Greek polymath: a mathematician, geographer, poet, astronomer, and music theorist.He was a man of learning, becoming the chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria.His work is comparable to what is now known as the study of geography, and he . Why is Eratosthenes called the father of geography? Arsinoe (a biography of Queen Arsinoe, wife and sister of Ptolemy IV). History of Oceanography TIMELINE PDF Image Zoom Out. How did Eratosthenes contribute to oceanography? He developed Read more. % complete First maps showing water (river charts) 3800 B.C. Known For: Eratosthenes was a Greek polymath who became known as the father of geography. Eratosthenes went to Athens to further his studies. The Arabs were the great contributors in the field of mathematical, physical and regional geography. And afterwards, Uranio Zeus, may the scepter of your hand guide it. In the quest to secure his newly regained domain, Ptolemy III saw fit to satisfy the people of Cyrene by offering a position as important as that of chief keeper of the great library of Alexandria to Eratosthenes. He uses the angles of shadows and the distance between Alexandria and Syene to arrive at a value of 24,855 miles (40,000 kilometers). Was nicknamed Beta by other Greeks of his time, in reference to the second letter of the alphabet. Now part of modern-day Libya, Cyrene had been founded by Greeks centuries earlier and became the capital of Pentapolis (North Africa), a country of five cities: Cyrene, Arsinoe, Berenice, Ptolemias, and Apollonia. Eratosthenes was afflicted by blindness in his old age, and he is said to have committed suicide by voluntary starvation. The inscription that Eratosthenes made in the mesolabe that he gave to Ptolemy III, said: "This you have at hand, friend, if you want to get double a small cube, or that transformation into any other solid figure, and also if you measure in this way an enclosure or a silo or the concave cavity of a well when you take the concurrences means between extreme limits within double rules . 22, No. Eratosthenes' "Geography". The authors' texts have always been recognized for their readability, currency, dynamic art program, delivery of basic principles and instructor flexibility. He concluded that the circumference of the earth was about 50 times greater than the distance from Alexandria to Aswan. Woocommerce Customization Tutorial, G. Argoud, J.Y. Archimedes is regarded as one of the most notable Greek mathematicians. But Eratosthenes, who had wide-ranging interests including poetry, theatre and ethics, was first and foremost an astronomer, and Alexandria was the place to go for astronomical studies. The pecialized text They are thoe that contain a vocabulary and terminology pecific to a certain branch of knowledge. He may have measured the distances from Earth to both the Moon and to the Sun, but the historical accounts of both deeds are rather cryptic.