| Sažetak | Homerovi i Vergilijevi epovi prikazuju svijet kroz prizmu mitologije, dok Heziodova Teogonija pruža uvid u kozmogonijske mitove koji su činili temelj grčke percepcije svijeta.
Razvojem filozofske misli krajem 7. st. pr. Kr. dolazi do odvajanja mita i „znanosti“. Prve filozofske škole donose odgovore na koje mit nije imao odgovor, a to je oblik Zemlje i njezin odnos sa Svemirom. U njihovim traktatima pojavljuju se ideje o Zemlji kao ravnoj ploči, cilindričnom obliku, krugu ili sferi. Aristotel oslanjajući se na pitagorejsku školu donosi konačan oblik zemlje a to je sfera, taj oblik zadržao se je duž antike i srednjega vijeka, sve do danas zahvaljujući Ptolomeju koji podrobnije objašnjava Aristotelovo stajalište.
Nasuprot tome razvoj opisne geografije razvijao se je postepeno. Njezin temelj pronalazimo u Herodotovom radu na kojega su se kasnije oslanjali svi daljnji istraživači, a ponajviše Eratosten koji je svojim istraživanjem postao „ocem geografije“. On je prvi od istraživača koji je izmjerio opseg zemlje i došao do izračuna od 40 000 km, prvi je postavio granice naseljenoga svijeta, kao što je i prva osoba koja u svojoj kartografiji ucrtava meridijana i paralele, te mjesta koja istražuje zapisuje na njima. Svi daljnji istraživači, ponajviše Strabon i Ptolomej oslanjaju se na njegov način istraživanja i u svoje karte ucrtavaju meridijane, paralele.
Naravno velika promjena u spoznaji svijeta događa se dolaskom Aleksandra Velikoga na vlast. Njegovi vojni pohodi do Indije otvaraju istraživačima, moreplovcima i trgovcima otkrivanje novih naroda, kultura, običaja... što dovodi do širenja ekumene i sve većih promjena na prvobitnim kartama svijeta, vidljivima već u zapisima Nearha i Megastena. To se još više mijenja padom Grčke pod Rimsku republiku i njezinim širenjem na sjever, zapad, istok i jug. Koje omogućava još snažniji razvoj trgovine s Istokom, ali i sa Zapadom. Te nam podatke donose Strabon, Juba II., Tacit, Marin iz Tira i mnogi drugi. Kada Ptolomej zapisuje svoju Geografsku uputu on unosi sve podatke koji su postojali o tada znanome svijetu referirajući se na djela od Nearha i Eratostena sve do Strabona i Marina iz Tira. |
| Sažetak (engleski) | Homer's and Virgil's epics portray the world through the lens of mythology, while Hesiod's Theogony provides insight into the cosmogonic myths that formed the foundation of the Greek perception of the world. With the development of philosophical thought at the end of the 7th century BC, there was a separation of myth and "science." The first philosophical schools offered answers that myth did not, such as the shape of the Earth and its relationship to the Universe. In their treatises, ideas appeared about the Earth being a flat disc, cylindrical, circular, or spherical in shape. Relying on the Pythagorean school, Aristotle proposed the final shape of the Earth, which was a sphere. This form persisted throughout antiquity and the Middle Ages, continuing to this day thanks to Ptolemy, who further explained Aristotle's viewpoint.
In contrast, the development of descriptive geography progressed gradually. Its foundation can be found in the work of Herodotus, upon whom all subsequent researchers relied, especially Eratosthenes, who through his research became the "father of geography." He was the first researcher to measure the Earth's circumference, arriving at a calculation of 40,000 km. He was also the first to set the boundaries of the inhabited world and the first person to include meridians and parallels in his cartography, recording the locations he explored on them. All subsequent researchers, especially Strabo and Ptolemy, relied on his method of research, incorporating meridians and parallels into their maps.
Of course, a major shift in the understanding of the world occurred with the rise of Alexander the Great to power. His military campaigns to India opened up opportunities for explorers, sailors, and merchants to discover new peoples, cultures, and customs, leading to the expansion of the known world (ecumene) and significant changes to the earliest maps of the world, as seen in the records of Nearchus and Megasthenes. This further evolved with the fall of Greece under the Roman Republic and its expansion to the north, west, east, and south, which facilitated even greater trade with both the East and the West. These developments are detailed by Strabo, Juba II, Tacitus, Marinus of Tyre, and many others. When Ptolemy wrote his Geographical Guide, he included all the information known about the world at that time, referring to the works of Nearchus and Eratosthenes, all the way to Strabo and Marinus of Tyre. |
