Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. salinity, waves, tides and winds. Eratosthenes also did other things that are known today. The estimate is over 99 percent of the actual distance of 40,008 km. He first studied with Zeno at the school of the Stoics. He lived from 276 to 194 B.C. Thus began the fame of Eratosthenes, since in his new field he achieved the recognition he had desired. The important contribution to navigation made by Eratosthenes in the third century BC was __________. 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). There it remained, approximately, for 25 years. He acquired works such as the great dramas of Aeschylus and Euripides. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2010. Contribution of Greeks to Mathematical and Physical Geography! Eratosthenes went to Athens to further his studies. He used as a basis the ecliptic movement, that is, the movement of the sun observed by the apparent changes of the same from the earth. He studied astronomy, geography, and math. III. About 150 years later, Eratosthenes (264-194 B.C.) He invented a system of latitude and longitude and he also might have calculated the distance from earth to the sun and invented the leap day. The two cities used were Alexandria and Syene (modern Aswan), and the distance between the cities was measured by professional bematists. He created a method known as the Siege of Eratosthenes by which he calculated the prime numbers. a. Eratosthenes of Cyrene developed longitude and latitude. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 FAQS Clear - All Rights Reserved 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. Thales, the philosopher, is credited with laying the groundwork for geography research. Eratosthenes proposed a simple algorithm for finding prime numbers. He described the geography of the world into two parts: (i) Europa, and (ii) Libya (Africa including Asia). We know him best for two important achievements: producing an accurate estimate of how big Earth is; and devising a method to find prime numbers. Atlantic Ocean Ocean exploration is a part of oceanography describing the exploration of ocean surfaces. His major work is 'Ges-periods' which is the first systematic description of the world. Hutchinson's Biography Database 1. [10] He then studied under Aristo of Chios, who led a more cynical school of philosophy. He created one of the earliest maps of the known world between 276-195 BC, but his greatest contribution was the concept of latitude and longitude. Boldly, they also sailed across the open ocean to settle Iceland and Greenland, even landing in North Americabecoming the first Europeans to do so. These six geographers are noteworthy for their contribution to the science of geography. Learn everything about the Oceanography from scratch and become a master of this topic with quiz based flashcards. At that time he also wrote Peri agathn kai kakn, a text that was lost. Eratosthenes was an Ancient Greek scientist born in the town of Cyrene in about 276 BC. [23] Strabo says that Eratosthenes was wrong to claim that Alexander had disregarded the counsel of his advisers. Uf Women's Studies Electives, Leaving Cape Town in April 1932, Discoveryand its oceanographers, including George Deacon, circumnavigated Antarctica, much of the first few months at sea the Antarctic winter, completing the long series of sections in April 1933 before returning to England. We do not know what he looked like. He created one of the earliest maps of the known world between 276-195 BC, but his greatest contribution was the concept of latitude and longitude. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The largest geographic feature on the surface of Planet Earth is _____., The important contribution to navigation made by Eratosthenes in the third century BC was _____., The explorer who advanced oceanography by introducing systematic soundings, or depth measurements, was _____. His measurement of Earths circumference may have varied by 0.5 to 17 percent from the value accepted by modern astronomers, but it was certainly in the right range. Cnidus, 342337 BC), Greek mathematician and astronomer who significantly advanced proportion theory, contributed to the identification of constellations in the Greek world and thus the development of observational astronomy, and created the first sophisticated, geometrical model of celestial motion. Eratosthenes - He was a Greek mathematician who had a profound interest in geography. It starts with 2 and all the numbers that are multiples of that first digit are crossed out, then the same is done with the next number that is not crossed out and so on. Eratosthenes of Cyrene, an ancient Greek mathematician and astronomer, was the first to use the word Geography (Greek: Geographika). Cars &vehicles (9) What makes the scientific discipline of geography different from other science disciplines is its emphasis on space, place, and connection. Eratosthenes was born in the Greek colony Cyrene, now the city of Shahhat, Libya. James Rennell has been dubbed the Father of Indian Geography, as well as the Father of Oceanography for his pioneering work on oceanography. This meant that if he continued the light waves at Alexandria and the light waves at Syene, they would meet at a 7.2 degree angle at the center of the earth. 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. However, a simplified version of the method has been preserved, as described by Cleomedes.[15]. During the period in which Eratosthenes was in charge of the Library of Alexandria, great advances were made in it. "Eratosthenes of Cyrene." ", Zhumud, Leonid. He made two important contributions, out of which one was later proved wrong, while the other was right, but it was overlooked for a long time. Eratosthenes' is believed to be the first person to attempt a determination of the size of the Earth through measurement. He is best known for being the first person known to calculate the circumference of the Earth, which he did by using the extensive survey results he could access in his role at the Library; his calculation was remarkably accurate. Eratosthenes introduced latitude and longitude. a. Eratosthenes of Cyrene developed longitude and latitude. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. What was Eratosthenes greatest achievement? Geography consisted of eight volumes. 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. The ancient Greek scholar Eratosthenes is dubbed the father of geography. He was the first to use the word geography, and he also had a small-scale understanding of the planet that helped him determine the earths circumference. The correct answer is to determine the Earths circumference. [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. He calculated the circumference of the Earth to be about 252,000 stadi which is equal to about 24,662 miles. Roller, Duane W. Eratosthenes' Geography. Duane W. Roller provides a rich background, including a history of the text and its reception, a biography of Eratosthenes, and a comprehensive account of ancient Greek geographical thought and of Eratosthenes pioneering contribution to it. Around 255BC, he invented the armillary sphere. in. He was nicknamed Beta because he was great at many things and tried to get his hands on every bit of information but never achieved the highest rank in anything; Strabo accounts Eratosthenes as a mathematician among geographers and a geographer among mathematicians.[25]. Etching of an ancient seal identified as Eratosthenes. He believed it was a fixed globe whose changes only took place on the surface. Arab and Muslim contribution to geography was not only confined to astronomical and mathematical geography, but rather covered a wide range of the branches of the discipline known at the present time. The prime meridian plotted by Ptolemy was used by the Arabs for the calculation of time and longitudes. In the text, he described the inhabited earth and the people who lived there. Eratosthenes was afflicted by blindness in his old age, and he is said to have committed suicide by voluntary starvation. In the Geography the names of over 400 cities and their locations were shown, which had never been achieved before. He worked in geography to try to figure out why the Nile river had such a regular flood pattern, and hypothesized that it was because of heavy rain upstream. He was born in 271 BC in Cyrene, which is now known as Libya, in North Africa. The word geography comes from a Middle French word that was first used in 1540. Even though they were worriors, they had a huge impact on Oceanography today. Later he joined the Platonists as a pupil of Arcesilao.It was then that Eratosthenes created a work called Platonicus, in which, following Plato's method, he explored mathematical and cosmological issues. What were the contributions of Eratosthenes, Hipparcus, and Ptolemy to oceanography? What Is Fast Acquisition Corp. . His work is comparable to what is now known as the study of geography, and he introduced some of the terminology still used today.[1]. The second book contains his calculation of the circumference of the Earth. He developed systems of latitudes and longitudes and ascertained accurate length of equator using Gnomon. % complete 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. Eckerman, C. (2011). Pacific Ocean- Largest, deepest, lots of islands and seamounts. Aristarchus was one of the first astronomers to calculate the relative sizes of the Sun, the Moon and the Earth. Eratosthenes followed in the footsteps of other academics in his city and trained with Lysanias, an expert in grammar. This algorithm is known in mathematics as the Sieve of Eratosthenes. Atlantic Ocean- long, narrow, parrallel sides 68% of freshwater runs into it. How did the Egyptians contribute to oceanography? However, it was in geography where he proved to be more skillful for he was one of the greatest of all ancient geographers. Ptolemy III was not moved only by his interest in the work of Eratosthenes, but also by political motives. He became famous for being the first to calculate, with considerable precision, the circumference of the earth. The actual circumference of the Earth is 24,874 miles (40,032 kilometers). It does so by iteratively marking as composite, i.e., not prime, the multiples of each prime, starting with the multiples of 2. The first book of "Geography" contained a summary of existing geographical work and Eratosthenes' speculations about the nature of the planet Earth. Vol. Starting with the first prime number, two, all multiples of two are crossed off. He created a longitude and latitude system, as well as a map of the world. environment that offers balanced, up-to-date coverage of geology, oceanography, astronomy, and meteorology. Eratosthenes of Cyrene (c. 276 BCE192 or 194 BCE) was an ancient Greek mathematician, poet, and astronomer who is known as the father of geography. In this work, which for the first time described the geography of the entire inhabited world as it was then known, Eratosthenes of Kyrene (ca. Why is Eratosthenes called the father of geography? Eratosthenes had a significant impact on science and mathematics. Homers Iliad and The Odyssey were thought to be the first books on the subject. Eratosthenes was also interested in history and created a chronology of the world from the siege of Troy to his time, taking as references the dates that appeared in literature and in political writings. He created one of the earliest maps of the known world between 276-195 BC, but his greatest contribution was the concept of latitude and longitude. Zihuatanejo Beach Shawshank, In number theory, he introduced the sieve of Eratosthenes, an efficient method of identifying prime numbers. Earth was considered as the centre of the universe, around which revolved the seven planets. Trigonometry can be used to roof a house, to make the roof inclined ( in the case of single individual bungalows) and the height of the roof in buildings etc. Finally he wrote: Happy father, Ptolemy, because with your son you enjoy the age! Who is father of geography in India? [6] He wrote Chronographies, a text that scientifically depicted dates of importance, beginning with the Trojan War. Was nicknamed Beta by other Greeks of his time, in reference to the second letter of the alphabet. He invented a system of latitude and longitude and he also might have calculated the distance from earth to the sun and invented the leap day. There is no distinction between the usages. . 2. Bailey, Ellen. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. b. Eratosthenes He was a Greek mathematician who had a profound interest in geography. Arsinoe (a biography of Queen Arsinoe, wife and sister of Ptolemy IV). For other uses, see. 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.