Eratosthenes of Cyrene°

views updated

ERATOSTHENES OF CYRENE°

ERATOSTHENES OF CYRENE° (c. 275–194 b.c.e.), polymath, author of Geographica, a first-rate geography much used by *Strabo, who cites his description of Arabia (16:4, 2), commenting upon the occupations of the inhabitants (including the Judeans), soil, flora, water supply, and distances. Strabo elsewhere (16:2, 44) cites Eratosthenes' theory that the region around Edom was once a lake and that the land came into existence as a result of volcanic eruptions.