This measurement was used for hundreds of years and was even studied by Christopher Columbus 17 centuries after the death of Eratosthenes.Īnother founding father of the discipline of geography was Strabo, a 1st Century CE Greek scholar who lived in the Amaseia in modern-day Turkey. The geographer used the length of the shadows at noon and the sun’s rays to come up with a formula that enabled him to calculate the earth’s circumference which according to him was 27,402 miles. One particularly impressive feat by Eratosthenes was that he was able to determine the circumference of the earth with remarkable accuracy without even traveling from Egypt. Some historians believe that Eratosthenes was responsible for the leap day, and accurately determined the distance between the Sun and the Earth.

A man of many firsts, Eratosthenes is also credited with the first world map in history, which was of impressive accuracy, as well as determining the tilt of the Earth’s axis. The geographer died in 194 BC but left behind a collection of books, many of which were lost during the Destruction of the Alexandria Library. The geographer used his knowledge of the earth, which he obtained from the mapping studies done by professionals before him, to come up with a map of the world in his publication “Geographika.” The book introduced the term “geography” to the world. The works of this geographer became the foundations of the study of geography.

Eratosthenes is believed to have been born in 276 BC in Cyrene and was the chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria. EratosthenesĮratosthenes was a 2nd century BC Greek scholar who is credited as the founder of the discipline of geography. However, four individuals are considered the founding fathers of ancient geography due to their contributions to the discipline Eratosthenes, Strabo, Claudius Ptolemy, and Muhammad al-Idrisi.

Some historians point Anaximander, a 4th century BC Greek scholar as the true founder of the study of geography. Ancient Greece saw the birth of the study of geography and with it the first true world maps. However, these maps were basic regional maps and were laden with errors and exaggerations. The earliest world maps date back to the 9th century BC in ancient Babylon.

The Geography by Ptolemy