Editing Eratosthenes (section)

===Geography===
[[File:Mappa di Eratostene.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Eratosthenes' map of the world (194 BC)|19th-century reconstruction of [[Eratosthenes' Map of the World|Eratosthenes' map of the (for the Greeks) known world]], {{nowrap|{{circa}} 194 BC}}]]
{{see also|History of geodesy|History of longitude}}

Eratosthenes now continued from his knowledge about the Earth. Using his discoveries and knowledge of its size and shape, he began to sketch it. In the Library of Alexandria he had access to various travel books, which contained various items of information and representations of the world that needed to be pieced together in some organized format.<ref name="Smith2005" /> In his three-volume work ''Geography'' ({{langx|grc-Latn|Geographika}}), he described and mapped his entire known world, even dividing the Earth into five climate zones:<ref name="Morris" /> two freezing zones around the poles, two temperate zones, and a zone encompassing the equator and the tropics.<ref name="Hutchinson" /> This book is the first recorded instance of many terms still in use today, including the name of the discipline [[geography]].<ref name='intro1'>{{cite book |last1=Dahlman |first1=Carl |last2=Renwick |first2=William |title=Introduction to Geography: People, Places & Environment |date=2014 |publisher=Pearson |isbn=978-0-13-750451-0 |edition=6 |url=https://www.pearson.com/store/en-us/pearsonplus/p/9780137504510.html?creative=545445680380&keyword=&matchtype=&network=g&device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwpKyYBhB7EiwAU2Hn2QPXxmu7Nqnx04A__xcaDqM3GuPh2cbR2wI7G7ihOs2cQpV7CUFAxxoCzLEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds |access-date=28 August 2022}}</ref> He placed grids of overlapping lines over the surface of the Earth. He used parallels and meridians to link together every place in the world. It was now possible to estimate one's distance from remote locations with this network over the surface of the Earth. In the ''Geography'' the names of over 400 cities and their locations were shown, which had never been achieved before.<ref name="roller"/> However, his ''Geography'' has been lost to history, although fragments of the work can be pieced together from other great historians like [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]], [[Polybius]], [[Strabo]], and [[Marcianus]]. While this work is the earliest we can trace certain ideas, words, and concepts in the historical record, earlier contributions may have been lost to history. 
* The first book was something of an introduction and gave a review of his predecessors, recognizing their contributions that he compiled in the library. In this book Eratosthenes denounced [[Homer]] as not providing any insight into what he now described as geography. His disapproval of Homer's topography angered many who believed the world depicted in the ''Odyssey'' to be legitimate.<ref name="chambers"/><ref name="Eckerman" /> He also commented on the ideas of the nature and origin of the Earth: he thought of Earth as an immovable globe while its surface was changing. He hypothesized that at one time the [[Mediterranean]] had been a vast lake that covered the countries that surrounded it and that it only became connected to the ocean to the west when a passage opened up sometime in its history.
* The second book contains his calculation of the circumference of the Earth. This is where, according to Pliny, "The world was grasped." Here Eratosthenes described his famous story of the well in Syene, wherein at noon each summer solstice, the Sun's rays shone straight down into the city-center well.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/big-history-project/solar-system-and-earth/knowing-solar-system-earth/a/eratosthenes-of-cyrene|title=Eratosthenes of Cyrene|website=Khan Academy|language=en|access-date=2019-11-19}}</ref> This book would now be considered a text on [[mathematical geography]].
* His third book of the ''Geography'' contained [[political geography]]. He cited countries and used parallel lines to divide the map into sections, to give accurate descriptions of the realms. This was a breakthrough and can be considered the beginning of geography. For this, Eratosthenes was named the "Father of Modern Geography."<ref name="Smith2005" />

According to Strabo, Eratosthenes argued against the Greek-[[Barbarian]] dichotomy. He says Alexander ignored his advisers by his regard for all people with law and government.<ref>Plutarch's similar discussion claiming that Alexander ignored [[Aristotle]]'s advice in this matter may have been influenced by Eratosthenes, but Plutarch does not give us confirmation of his sources.</ref> Strabo says that Eratosthenes was wrong to claim that Alexander had disregarded the counsel of his advisers. Strabo argues it was Alexander's interpretation of their "real intent" in recognizing that "in some people there prevail the law-abiding and the political instinct, and the qualities associated with education and powers of speech".<ref>Isaac, Benjamin. Invention of Racism in Classical Antiquity. Princeton University Press, 2013.</ref>