In the third century BC, science was in its infancy, and the term scientific thinking was not yet known to mankind. However, numerous Greek scholars have already begun to raise questions about how the world around them works, while others indulged in war or political intrigue.
What Eratosthenes discovered: briefly
In history, and not only scientific, but also world, the Greek mathematician, astronomer and geographer entered as the first person who not only wondered about the size of the Earth, but also as a scientist who managed to answer this question.
By the time Eratosthenes became a young man, an Academy was active in Alexandria, producing universal sages who knew a lot about numerous sciences, history and poetry. A future explorer of the Earth received his first education from one of the most famous poets of his time - Callimachus. I must say that Eratosthenes carried his love of literature through his whole life, until the last calling himself a philologist.
However, his contribution to science is not limited only to philological studies, but also extends to geography, mathematics and music. The scientist paid much attention to the geography of Egypt, in which he spent most of his life and where he ended his days.
Scientific biography of Eratosthenes
What did Eratosthenes discover? This discovery left its mark on all subsequent science and culture. It seemed impossible, but he still measured the Earth. Such significant perseverance and ability of the scientist was also helped by the fact that after Alexandria he continued his studies in Athens at the famous Platonic Academy, after which he considered himself a Platonist.
However, in 245 BC, the Athenian period ended, as a young famous scientist received an invitation to move to Alexandria in order to begin work in the famous Alexandria library. In these educational institutions, his widest range of interests and encyclopedic literacy were formed.
On guard of knowledge
To learn about what Eratosthenes discovered in geography, the 7th grade will also be interesting because this scientist is rightfully considered one of the husbands who, through his efforts, designed a number of scientific areas and branches of knowledge that contributed to the glory of the Alexandria Library.
For example, it was under Eratosthenes that entire departments were created in the library, whose employees were involved in the census and study of the great Greek poets such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and, of course, Homer.
Such a wide range of interests and unstoppable energy caused Eratosthenes to be given several honorary nicknames, the most common of which were the pentathlete, which indicated his comprehensive development, and beta, which testified to the deepest respect that contemporaries had for the great philologist, recognizing behind him the status is so high that only Plato was ahead of him.
Scientific works: mathematics
Of the works devoted to mathematical problems, in its entirety, only a letter has survived to the present day addressed to Tsar Ptolemy, in which the scientist talks about doubling the cube and describes a device that went down in the history of science under the name Mesolyaby.
Other mathematical works and what Eratosthenes discovered in mathematics can only be judged by fragmentary information from third-party sources, such as the works of Papp and Eutokius, one of which refers to the work of an older colleague, and the second cites Eratosthenes altogether.
There is, however, one rather curious essay that European science learned from the follower of Middle Platonism, Theon of Smyrnsky. In his essay, the medieval scholar mentions the work "Platonic", in which Eratosthenes discusses the proportions and relations of equality.
It is worth noting that the works of the scientist were extremely popular among the followers of Platonism in the lll century of our era. For example, Nikomakh Gerassky, known as a mathematician and theorist of music, in his essay "Introduction to Arithmetic" quite extensively quotes the unknown composition of Eratosthenes, using his name as an undeniable authority both in mathematics and in harmony and poetics.
Speaking about what Eratosthenes discovered and in what year, one cannot but mention the so-called sieve of Eratosthenes, which is an algorithm for finding a prime number in any predetermined limit.
Astronomy and Geography
Unfortunately, only one thing has survived from astronomical writings - "Catastropism", in which the scientist tries to calculate the constellations and stars that make up their composition. In total, about 700 objects are mentioned in the text.
Eratosthenes loved geography so much that he allowed himself to disagree with Homer himself, saying that the world described in the Odyssey cannot exist in reality. Sometimes he is even called the father of geography, since he was the first to apply the scientific method to measuring the size of the Earth, combining his broadest knowledge in astronomy and geography, as well as in mathematics.
Talking a long time about world harmony, the relationship between outer space and earth, Eratosthenes comes to the conclusion that Siena and Alexandria lie on the same meridian. On this basis, he calculated the distance separating the two settlements, and then cited data on the estimated diameter of the Earth.
According to calculations, it amounted to 252,000 stages, which was approximately 6,287 km. Such a calculation today can be considered fairly accurate, since, according to modern information, the average diameter of the Earth is approximately 6,371 km.
Historical criticism of geography
It is worth saying that it was he who began to use parallels and meridians in order to establish a connection between all places in the world. Such an approach, according to Eratosthenes, was supposed to eliminate the obvious shortcomings in the work of his predecessors.
He considered not only the data provided by Homer, but also the scientists who were his closest ancestors, worthy of correction. They, as you know, taking advantage of the campaigns of Alexander the Great, made a description of the eastern lands and peoples.
However, these data were criticized in an essay on geography, which Eratosthenes was divided into three volumes. As it is known today from the works of Strabo, the title of father of geography, Eratosthenes received not only for bold and productive ideas, but also for the creation of the term "geography", which can be translated as "geography".
What did Eratosthenes discover?
Having examined the details of the contribution that the great Greek made to the development of science and the arts, it is worth summing up a brief summary of all his activities, which had a significant impact on the formation of the scientific way of thinking in European civilization.
Here is a list of what Eratosthenes discovered in geography and in which year:
- The sun's rays are parallel.
- Siena lies in the tropic of Cancer.
- Alexandria is separated from Siena by 5,000 stadia.
- Earth is the perfect ball.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to establish the exact dates when these discoveries were made, however, scientists know for certain that Eratosthenes was born in Cyrene in 276 BC, and died in 194 BC. e.