The map above is a modern depiction of ancient Greek historian Herodotus’ view of the Ecumene (or oecumene), literally the the known or the inhabited world, in the 5th Century BC.
And while obviously far from fully accurate it clearly shows Europe, Africa and Asia.
For more on Herodotus have a look at the following books:
- The Landmark Herodotus: The Histories
- Herodotus: A Very Short Introduction
- Interpreting Herodotus
- Travels with Herodotus…
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Lefty says
For 500BC, that’s a pretty darn good map!
Sean says
There is some claim that (I believe it was) the Mesopotamians, were given an account of having circumnavigated Africa by Herodotus. They even describe the sun as having an apparent right to left “trajectory” through the sky once they passed a certain point in Africa. I believe the journey took around 3 years as they stopped regularly to plant crops, repair ships etc…
John McGee says
Herodotus in his histories, mentions the existence of Pygmies in Africa (presumably south of Libya).