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The Known World According To Herodotus In The 5th Century BC

April 9, 2019 3 Comments

The Known World According To Herodotus In The 5th Century BC

Map crated by Bibi Saint-Pol via Wikimedia

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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Filed Under: World Maps

Comments

  1. Lefty says

    April 25, 2019 at 4:16 pm

    For 500BC, that’s a pretty darn good map!

    Reply
  2. Sean says

    June 24, 2019 at 6:13 pm

    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…

    Reply
  3. John McGee says

    August 17, 2022 at 8:41 am

    Herodotus in his histories, mentions the existence of Pygmies in Africa (presumably south of Libya).

    Reply

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