Editing Pytheas (section)

== Circumstances of the voyage ==
{{further|Greeks in pre-Roman Gaul}}
Pytheas was the first documented Mediterranean mariner to reach the British Isles.

The start of Pytheas's voyage is unknown. The [[Carthage|Carthaginians]] had closed the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] to all ships from other nations. Some historians, mainly of the late 19th century and early, speculated that he must have traveled overland to the mouth of the [[Loire]] or the [[Garonne]]. Others believed that, to avoid the Carthaginian blockade, he may have stayed close to land and sailed only at night, or taken advantage of a temporary lapse in the blockade.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Problem of Pytheas' Thule|first=Ian|last=Whitaker|journal=The Classical Journal|volume=77|issue=2|date=December 1981 – January 1982|pages=148–164|jstor=3296920}}</ref>

An alternate theory is that by the 4th century BC, the western Greeks, especially the Massaliotes, were on amicable terms with Carthage. In 348&nbsp;BC, Carthage and Rome came to terms over the [[Sicilian Wars]] with a treaty defining their mutual interests. Rome could use Sicilian markets, Carthage could buy and sell goods at Rome, and slaves taken by Carthage from allies of Rome were to be set free. Rome was to stay out of the western Mediterranean, but these terms did not apply to Massalia, which had its own treaty. During the second half of the 4th century BC, the time of Pytheas' voyage, Massaliotes were presumably free to operate as they pleased; there is, at least, no evidence of conflict with Carthage in any of the sources that mention the voyage.<ref>{{cite book|title=Transalpine Gaul: The Emergence of a Roman Province|first=Charles|last=Ebel|location=Leiden|date=1976|isbn=978-90-04-04384-8|pages=9–15|publisher=Brill Archive}}</ref>

The early part of Pytheas' voyage was outlined by statements of [[Eratosthenes]] that Strabo said are false because they were taken from{{clarify|date=January 2015}} Pytheas.<ref>''Geographica'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/3B*.html III.2.11].</ref> Apparently, Pytheas said that tides ended at the "sacred promontory" (''Hieron akrōtērion'', or [[Sagres Point]]), and from there to [[Cádiz|Gades]] is said to be 5&nbsp;days' sail. Strabo complained about this distance, and about Pytheas' portrayal of the exact location of [[Tartessos]]. Mention of these places in a journal of the voyage indicates that Pytheas passed through the [[Straits of Gibraltar]] and sailed north along the coast of [[Portugal]].