Invention of Geography.
The Greeks were the first people to use the idea
of testing what they thought to be true. Now this is called scientific method, which
basically means coming up with an idea and then testing it. The Greeks often fell back on
superstition if they felt that they could not prove what they were trying to prove. The
word geography comes from the Greeks. In Greek ge means the earth and graphe
is to describe. The famous story The Odyssey by Homer is said to be one of the
first geographical statements since throughout the story the people describe where they
are going.
There were many Greeks who were important in the
starting of modern geography. Miletus used mathematical equations in order to measure the
earth. Anaximander was the producer of the sun dial. The were also some more interesting
ways of finding out the distances between points. Eratosthenes was able to tell the
circumference of the earth from a shadow, a camel, and a triangle.
Study Questions
Is the word geography derived from Greek? And if
so what does it mean?
Describe one important person involved in the
Greek influence upon geography.
Field Question
Read the Odyssey and think about where the actual areas they are describing are.
Chad Hamilton