Barry Cunliffe tells the story of the ancient Greek seafaring explorer Pytheas, and his epic voyage from Marseilles right the way round Britain, in the fourth century BC.
The Story of Pytheas | Oxford Academic (Oxford University Press) | Published on Sep 19, 2017
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>> “He also correctly observed that the north star is not true north.” <<
Not a particularly difficult task in the tropics, but damn near impossible in the far north since the polar region is not solid earth, but floating ice.
It would be MUCH more reasonable to suppose that the Faroe Islands or the Shetland Islands are Thule. Unlike Iceland, they’re relatively North of Great Britain. They’re also much more reasonable to reach in six days.
Great article. Thank you.
Pytheas: Ancient Greek Explorer of Britain, the Arctic Circle & Northern Europe...
AND PARTS OF BROOKLYN!!!!
Back when seafaring was an existential danger every single day.
No weather reports. No certainty of when you would reach land. No effective medicines. And no comms.
I commend their shear bravery.
Portuguese fishermen had been fishing the grand Banks by the time of Columbus and it is quite likely that they made landfall. In any event there are accounts of bodies of Eskimos or Inuit Indians being observed by these fishermen.
It appears that the ancient world was remarkably advanced. One wonders what might have happened if Islam had not helped precipitate the dark age?
Hmmm, I guess he didn’t make it to Oak Island.
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I found this post and discussion thread so interesting I just ordered Cunliffe’s book on Pytheas. As one commenter noted this is a pleasant change from all of the anti-Trump acrimony we have to confront every day.
At the time, Kochab was the star nearest the North Pole, and it was farther from the pole than Polaris is now.
