Publisher
:
Les Éditions de la Nerthe
Parution date
:
2000
EAN
:
9782913483101
Description
A navigator living from the great trade port of Antiquity, Massalia (today's Marseille), in the 4th century BC, Pytheas sailed north of the Atlantic ocean and reached the legendary island of Thule. Unfortunately, the travels of this great navigator only survive through less than forty testimonies dating from 4th to 6th century BC. Piecing together different accounts, the reader discovers that Pytheas was not only a great astronomer who could anticipate the dates of equinoxes and calculate the tilt of the earth's axis and latitudes, but also an audacious adventurer, a clear-sighted geographer and a brilliant story-teller. The authors lead the reader through the world of navigation in Antiquity, in a geographical tale from the past that has been long forgotten. This well-researched book appeals to lovers of the sea and classical history alike. Embellished with lovely watercolors, this original work immerses the reader in the mindset of the Ancient Greeks and pays a tribute to an often overlooked adventurer.
Author
Jean-Marie Gassend : Jean Marie-Gassend is an archeologist at the CNRS and wrote a thesis about ships in Antiquity. He is also a painter in watercolors.
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