Oceanographer, Geographer, Explorer, Mathematician, Astronomer (4th century BC)
Pytheas was a daring explorer and adventurer from the Greek city of Massalia who became the first Greek recorded in history to visit the British Isles during the 4th century BC. With his travels in the northern seas and in the elusive island of Thule, Pytheas surpassed the known borders of the world.
Pytheas accurately calculated the latitude of Massalia using Anaximander’s gnomon, the perimeter of Britain (approximately 7400 km) and the distance from Massalia and Britain. He was the first who showed that the moon affects the tides, made observations on the summer solstice, the midnight sun, showed that the pole star is not at the true pole and identified the triangular shape of Britain. His primary works On the Ocean and Earth’s Period chronicle Pytheas’ travels in the northern seas of the globe and document his scientific observations and discoveries in the lands he visited.
Pytheas’ voyage began as a quest for tin and amber, two valuable elements used for trade with the neighboring city-states. Pytheas’ geographic and astronomic knowledge was the reason for him leading the expedition. He sailed to Gibraltar, then crossed the Pillars of Hercules and reached the Atlantic Ocean. Pytheas continued sailing along the shores of France until he reached Cornwall where he found tin. From there he continued north to Ireland, Scotland and Norway where he found amber. He then sailed to the Baltic Sea and explored the lands of northern Europe. His second voyage started from the Northern Isles of Great Britain, which he named Orkney Islands, a name that remains to this day. He then crossed the English Channel and followed his way back to Massalia. Fragments of his works reveal several descriptions of the Brittany peninsula, Ushant, the Isle of Wight, various ports of the ancient world as well as the tribes he met.
Lastly, Pytheas sailed to an island called Thule in his text, which he reached after sailing for 6 days from the northernmost part of Britain. Thule was the northernmost inhabited island found in the Arctic Circle. According to the fragments of his works, Thule had the longest daytime during the summer solstice. This is evident from Geminus’ accounts who wrote that “… the Barbarians showed us the place where the sun goes to rest. For it was the case that in these parts the nights were very short, in some places two, in others three hours long, so that the sun rose again a short time after it had set”. Pytheas had discovered the phenomenon of the midnight sun, which is observed in the lands in the Arctic Circle. Furthermore Pytheas witnessed icebergs, iceblocks and lava. Modern geographers are still bewildered as far as concerning the actual location of Thule.
It is presumed that this was Pytheas’ last voyage until he sailed back to his hometown. Renowned French admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville wrote about Pytheas “We are obliged to place Pytheas in the catalogue of Vasco da Gama, Cristopher Colombus and Magellan. Them too a kind of conquerors who are worth surviving in the memory of men…”
Bibliography
- Georgakopoulos, Konstantinos. Ancient Greek Scientists. Athens: Georgiades, 1995. Print.
- ”Pytheas”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens, 1946. Print.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. ”Pytheas” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Web. 16 August. 2016.
- ”Πυθέας ο Μασσαλιώτης”. mixanhtouxronou.gr. 11 Apr. 2016. Web. 17 Aug. 2016.