Eratosthenes“Father of Geography”

Eratosthenes studied many subjects, but his greatest contributions were to understanding the shape and features of Earth … GEOGRAPHY!

Name Block

…life and times …

• born around 276 B.C.• grew up in Cyrene, Libya• came to Athens in 240 B.C. to study • worked as the head librarian at the Great Library

at Alexandria• first person to use of the word geography, which

means "writing about the earth" in Greek• was a good friend to Archimedes• Lost his sight and became so depressed that he

stopped eating • died around the age of 82

… life and times …

… achievements …

figured out the circumference of the Earth within 395miles – he thought it was 25,200 miles – it is 24,805 miles

made a map of Europe, Asia, and Africa using invisible lines he called “parallels of latitude” and “meridians of longitude”

figured out the distance from the earth to the sun

invented the leap daycame up with a formula for finding prime

numbers

…achievements

…

… Eratosthenes’s contributions to the world …

The Greek scholar, Eratosthenes, was born in the present day country of Libya in the city of Cyrene. He was sent to live in Athens in order to be taught by the best. He was a great thinker who observed the Earth and the skies, attempting to explain how the world was organized. One of Eratosthenes’s greatest ideas was using imaginary lines to criss-cross the globe allowing current and future travelers to navigate the world. These lines, known as parallels (latitudes) and meridians (longitudes), are still in use today. Eventually, Eratosthenes became the head librarian at the famous great Library in Alexandria and kept himself busy by generating new ideas. This man’s contributions to the world of geography earned him the title, “Father of Geography”.

Eratosthenes’s contributions to the world …

Sources

The Ancient World, History Alive! Activity 4.1 p10

http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeography/a/eratosthenes.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eratosthenes