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During the Hellenistic era, Cyrene, the first Greek colony in Libya, gave birth to prestigious scientists and poets, who contributed to the Greek cultural influence at the time. In this article, we will discover Eratosthenes, a mathematician who mostly became famous as the first to calculate the Earth’s circumference.
Eratosthenes was also born in Cyrene, in 276. After starting his studies at a local school, he continued them in Athens, where he became a disciple of the philosopher Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism. He also studied at the Platonic Academy. Later on, he moved to Alexandria, where he discovered poetry under the direction of another Cyrenean: Callimachus. He succeeded Callimachus as the librarian of the library of Alexandria.
Eratosthenes was more interested in mathematics and natural science than poetry. He is known mostly for his calculation of Earth’s circumference, with remarkable precision: the result he found is very close to our modern-day knowledge of the Earth’s circumference.
Eratosthenes then started with his knowledge of the size and shape of the Earth, and went on to a more detailed description of it, and even representing it. His Geography, largely based on the travel stories he found in the library of Alexandria, contains the oldest known world map. He divided the world into five climatic zones: the two poles, two temperate zones, and the warm inter-tropical zone, with the equator. He is considered as the founder of modern geography.
In his old age, Eratosthenes became blind, which prevented him from continuing his works. He became depressed, and let himself die of hunger. He died in 194.
