Hecataeus Miletus is an ancient Greek historian and geographer. Geography of the world by Hekate

Among the ancient researchers who leftafter himself a significant contribution, to the fullest extent can be attributed Hecataeus of Miletus. His figure, of course, is not as well known to the general public as the name of Herodotus, but the contribution to the development of science is indisputable.

Description of the era

To better imagine what time he livedand worked as a scientist of ancient Greece, briefly describe the era of 6-5 centuries BC. e. This time for Hellas is a period of prosperity of the economy, culture and political innovations. The sages of those years began to take an active part in the activities of policies, to their opinion they listened, which allowed Plutarch to note their outstanding merits in state affairs.

Historical science began to develop gradually, the first works appeared in prose about the history of the founding of some settlements. Some historical events were found in scientific works.

The time itself favored the appearance of a researcher like Hecataeus, who was familiar with the creations of his predecessors and could continue their work.

Information from life

We have very little data on Hecataya Miletus,his biography at the moment is not fully understood. It is known that he lived about 550-490 BC. e., in the city of Miletus. Many of the data are controversial:

• According to the Byzantine Court (encyclopedic dictionary), he lived in the era of King Darius (the reign of the mighty Persian - 522-486 BC).
• In 499 BC. As the sources indicate, the historiographer was about half a century old.
• It is believed that the year of death is about 476 BC. The researcher allegedly survived the Greco-Persian war, but in the Court, to which the unknown source refers, there is no such information.

One can say only one thing: Hecataeus from Miletuswas alive during the Ionian revolt, suppressed in 494 BC. e. After that, as the ancient Greek scholar Diodorus Sicilian testifies, the historiographer successfully fulfilled the ambassador's mission to the Persian ruler Artapherna and managed to agree on mutually advantageous conditions for concluding peace.

Activities

Only fragmentary quotes from other authors from the main works of the great ancient Greek historian and geographer have reached us:

• "Earth Description" or "Traveling the World";
• "Genealogy".

Such a meager legacy also caused large gaps in knowledge about the life and work of Hecataeus.

However, some information is still preserved. So, it is known that the researcher had a very large fortune and, most likely, a noble lineage, which gave him the opportunity to travel around the world. He described his journey to mysterious Egypt and conversations with priests, told about a lot of European and Asian cities, vividly and figuratively described the traditions and customs of African pygmies. In addition to the texts, the traveler left a map after himself, adding and expanding the work of the philosopher and geographer Anaximander. However, to this day it has not reached, it is known only by descriptions.

Geographical descriptions

Not for nothing that Hecataeus Miletus is considered one of thethe ancestors of ancient geography, it was he who created a detailed description of the so-called Oikumene - all countries known to the Greeks of that era. His main work, which reached us in the form of more than 300 scattered fragments, originally consisted of two books called "Asia" and "Europe." The border between the continents, as the ancient Greek believed, passed along the Don River, then - along the Azov Sea. It is interesting that these representations have been preserved in European geography up to the New Times. However, Hecatei mistakenly included in Egypt Egypt and Libya, African countries.

Scientific interests

Hecataeus from Miletus was distinguished by a large number of hobbies:

• he traveled a lot;
• was interested in religion, geography and ethnography of other countries;
• his culture included the culture of the East;
• fond of the history of Hellas of ancient times;

To satisfy his craving for knowledge, the explorer traveled, describing his knowledge and findings.

Contribution

Hecataeus of Miletus and his works playeda significant role in the formation of geographical science and Greece, and Europe as a whole. This researcher is known for having taken nothing on faith and critically rethought the achievements of his predecessors. His statements about myths were quite rational, and the studies claimed universality - Hecataeus of Miletus tried to create an all-Greek geography and history.

It was this historian who began to use the years accountfor generations of 40 years, he made his own genealogy, in which he described 16 generations of his ancestors. It has not reached us, but the fact is known: in a conversation with Egyptian priests, a scientist of Ancient Greece mentioned that his genus is derived from the gods, which was generally characteristic of the worldviews of that time.

The researcher is especially valuable in that he managed to free himself from many of the prejudices of his era, sought to be objective, took part in the political life of his native Miletus and was an ardent patriot.

Great is the merit of the scientist in the formation and development of the geography of the world. So, it was he who managed to unite the disparate facts into a single whole. Before Hecatea in science there were several types of works:

• descriptions of the banks were called periplanes;
• descriptions of land - pereegezi;
• periods were called the detours of the earth.

It was Hekatei who could not only generalize, but also supplement these descriptions, try to connect them with the history of peoples, a description of their life.

Relationship with the tyrant and views on the uprising

Being a patriot and an educated personof noble birth, Hecataeus of Miletus took part in the meeting of the tyrant Aristagoras and his associates. The question of the Persian uprising was being resolved. The tyrant was eloquent, but behind his fervent remarks concealed insincerity and the desire for personal gain. Hecatei opposed the insurrection, explaining this by the fact that the forces are clearly not equal and an advantage on the side of the Persians.

However, the influence of the sage on the tyrant turned out to besufficiently weak, so the decision was made in favor of bloodshed. Then Hecatei tried to reason with the ruler in another way, offering him to strengthen the power of the sea and concentrate on building warships, spending on this temple treasures. However, as scientists believe, this plan was rejected because of superstitious fear and excessive conservatism of the tyrant and his entourage.

Until the suppression of the uprising of Hecataeus of Miletuswas an adviser to the tyrant Aristagoras, but his advice was listened to very reluctantly. Even after the native Miletus was burned by the Persians, and the majority of the inhabitants turned into slavery, Hecatei did not despair, it was he who was entrusted with negotiating for peace on mutually beneficial terms. He succeeded, the new taxes, with which the Persians surrounded Miletus, did not differ from the previous ones, that's why Hecatei went down in history as a talented diplomat.

Hecatei and Herodotus

If Hecataeus is considered one of the foundersgeography of antiquity, then Herodotus is usually called the father of history. Both left a significant contribution to the development of science, traveled and described in detail what they saw in their writings. Many of the features of the life of the Oecumenes discovered by Hecatei were used not only by Herodotus himself, but also by his predecessors, which helped the development of the geography of the world. For example, Herodotus borrowed descriptions of the features of the fauna of Ancient Egypt from Hecataeus.

The contribution of Hecatania Miletus to the development of the ancientscience is difficult to overestimate. This man was not only distinguished by his critical mind and rationalism, he traveled a lot and conscientiously composed descriptions of countries and nationalities. It was Hekatei who laid the foundation of modern geography, dividing Europe and Asia, and his contribution to diplomacy and history is significant.