HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW ANCIENT GREEKS AND ROMANS UNDERSTOOD THE WORLD? 

The world, we see today, with well-defined oceans, continents, and political boundaries, was once a mystery to ancient civilizations. The journey of exploration about oceans and continents evolved gradually from the golden age of the Greeks, as pioneers, followed by the Romans and many more geographical scholars.  

THE EVOLUTION OF GEOGRAPHICAL THOUGHT

The evolution of geographical understanding of Earth can be divided into distinct stages-

·        Beginning with mythological interpretation and gradually moving towards more empirical and scientific knowledge, which laid the foundation for modern geography.

·        Ancient Greece was located in Southern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula with its territory extending to the Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, which contributed as a hub for Maritime trade connecting with Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Rome and helped us to know about its strategic position.

 

GREEK CONTRIBUTION FROM MYTH TO MAPPING

·        Greek scholars were 1st to explore and contribute geographical concepts-

·        Homer’s Mythological World view in his works, the Iliad and Odyssey, he described the world as a circular landmass surrounded by water body called Oceanus. He identified places like Egypt, Troy, and Mediterranean Island, but his understanding about global geography was limited.

·        With time, Greek scholars moved away from mythology. Thales of Miletus proposed that the Earth floated on water and provided rational explanations.

·        Anaximander created one of the earliest world maps depicting the Earth as a cylindrical shape surrounded by an ocean.

·        Hecataeus of Miletus, who wrote “Ges Periodos”, describing the known world and dividing it into Europe, Asia, and made an attempt at mapping coastlines.

·        Further advancements were made by Herodotus was the 1st scholar to divide the world landmarks into three continents, Europe, Asia, and Libya (Africa), he also detailed the Nile River, which divided Africa from Asia.

GREEK EXPOLRATION WITH NEW FRONTIERS

·        The idea of the earth being spherical rather than a flat disc was introduced by Pythagoras and Eudoxus of Cnidus.

·        Hipparchus who introduced the system of latitude and longitude and refined early maps and map making techniques.

·        Eratosthenes accurately calculated the Earth’s circumference using the Sun’s angles and introduced climate zones, thus his contribution improved the accuracy of maps.

 

ROMAN CONTRIBUTION AND THE EXPANSION OF KNOWLEDGE

·        Geographical knowledge, expanded with the rise of the Roman Empire, as the Roman armies advanced into Central Europe, France, Britain, and Asia minor

·        Roman inherited Greek geographical knowledge, and expanded it through trade, exploration, and conquest and this era marked a transition from theoretical geography to practical approach.

·        Strabo compiled one of the most extensive works on ancient geography, Geographica (Geography), covering historical, political, and physical geography in one study. His observation about Europe, Asian, Africa, also incorporated in his works from the Roman military campaign.

·        Ptolemy introduced the coordinate system for mapping continents and oceans. He accurately depicted major rivers, such as the Volga, the Ganges, and provided a reliable description of the coastline like the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.

 

UNFADING FOOTPRINTS

·        Ancient geographer made a remarkable contribution as they were the one who first attempted at systematic mapping, created the most influential map of the ancient world.

·        Calculate the Earth's circumference using simple mathematical principles.

·        Pytheas contributed to our understanding of ocean currents, tides.

·        Romans built artificial harbours, maps provide detailed road networks, helping travellers to navigate efficiently and even introduce the concept of geopolitics, showing how geography influenced trade and military strategies.

MISCONCEPTIONS

·       Greeks believed in Okeanos, a mythical ocean surrounding the world

·        Ptolemy maps and geocentric model misrepresented Earth’s position in space and even incorrectly enclosed the Indian Ocean, preventing correct world mapping until the 15th century, thus affecting the future navigation roots.

·        Misinterpreted the size and shape of Asia and Europe, and even Mess interpreted the Caspian Sea shape as elongated from West to East

·        Greek and Roman geography was Mediterranean-centric and ignored the Americas, parts of Asia, and Saharan Africa

·        Herodotus, the father of history, in his work Histories, challenged the existing continent vision that geography should be based on cultural and natural factors, not Arbitrary lines

·        Many texts from Asian geography were based on accounts from merchants and travellers, which are often exaggerated and incorrect.

 

THE LASTING IMPACT

In conclusion, even these early geographical models, theories, and maps contained inaccuracies, but they were refined over time and laid groundwork for modern geography. Ptolemy’s coordinate system influenced various cartographers like Mercator, shaping modern navigation. The system of latitude and longitude, which was significant works of Ancient Greek, and Roman geographers, is still used today in GPS technology navigation system, GIS. The earlier attempts at world maps influenced Mercator Projection (1569) and other modern projections. Study of transportation network, city planning, we study today is a pioneer concept by the Romans. The climatology, meteorology and environmental geography. we Study today was first introduced by Ptolemy and Aristotle. Today’s global trade, shipping routes, naval navigation, follow many of the oceanic patterns identified by Greek and Roman geographers. The earlier attempt of land survey for taxation, military planning, and governance, which is still used by today's government for land management, infrastructure, development, and taxation.

The rational explanations developed by Greek and Roman scholars continue to impact how we understand and study the Earth today. Their legacy remains evident in disciplines ranging from cartography and geopolitics to climate science and satellite imaging.

    REFERENCES

·        Husain, M. (2015). Evolution of geographical thought (6th ed.). Rawat Publications.

·        Masilamani, P. (n.d.). Development of geographical thought (Classical and medieval period). Bharathidasan University. https://oms.bdu.ac.in/ec/content-bucket/14-14-405-77-20241205_140327.pdf

·        Banukumar, K. (n.d.). Development of geographical thought. Kunthavai Naacchiyaar Government Arts College for Women. https://www.kngac.ac.in/elearning-portal/ec/admin/contents/2_18KP2G05_2021012802300467.pdf

·        Krishnanand, D. (n.d.). GREEK SCHOLARS | GEOGRAPHICAL THOUGHT [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/0RnGiomiyN8