Pytheas

Pytheas was a Ancient Greek geographer, navigator, astronomer and explorer during the 4th century BC. Pytheas was from the Greek colony of Massilia, which is modern day Marseilles. He explored the Atlantic coasts of Spain and France,and in about 325 BC he made a voyage of exploration to northwestern Europe, travelling around and visiting a vast part of Great Britian. Pytheas made the earliest report of Stonehenge, and was the first person on record to describe the Midnight Sun, Polar Ice and to study alternative cultures such as the Germanic tribes. He was also the first person to state that the tides of the sea are controlled by the moon.

Interesting sites

Stonehenge

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Related articles

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by MalcolmJ

The Anglo-Saxons were the dominant force in post-Roman Britain, and they founded a new and thriving city on the Thames. Its prosperity made it an attractive target for Viking raiders however, wars with whom would shape London and Britain's history for centuries.

London Before Londinium: a Prehistory of the Thames

 

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An interview with Barry Moss, Chairman of the British Chapter of the Explorers Club.

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Alternative names

Pytheas of Massilia

Interesting Publications

It's All Greek to Me: From Achilles' Heel to Pythagoras' Theorem - How Ancient Greece Has Shaped Our World

Short Books (2 Jul 2009)

by Charlotte Higgins

A Brief History of Stonehenge

Robinson Publishing (2007)

by Aubrey Burl

Images

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