GEOGRAPHER

Life
Held to be the "father of geography", Hecataeus was one of the first truly scientific geographers. The son of Agesander, he studied with Anaximander before setting off on the travels that would take him from southern Russia to Egypt. That he was familiar with the geography of all the lands from the Caucasus to Gibraltar and from the Danube to the Nile is obvious from his work.


Work
His principal works are:

"Map of the Persian state"

"Map of the world"

"Ges periodos"

"Periegesis": Explanatory work, in supplement to the "Ges periodos". It is in 2 parts, one on Europe and one on "Asia", which included Egypt and North Africa. Extant.

Hecataeus improved Anaximander's map of the world. While earlier geographers had been content to determine distances by measuring the lengths of roads and coasts, which of course are never straight lines, Hecataeus tried to achieve greater accuracy by locating places in relation to the points of the compass and the constellations. He used as notations on his maps the triangles, squares, bands and other shapes that are still part of cartographic practice today. His geographies included information on the peoples and their civilisations, origins and histories. The geographical details in the works of Aeschylus and Sophocles suggest that they were familiar with his works, while explorers in later ages were apparently accustomed to consult his books. Very little of his work is extant, and that only in fragments.

Herodotus frequently used Hecataeus as a source, and he is cited by Strabo, Herodotus and Stephen of Byzantium, whose works preserve fragments of his writings.