Measuring the Earth

This biography introduces Eratosthenes whose mathematical approach opened new ways to describe and understand the world. Using mathematics to study the earth, Eratosthenes broke new ground. In his monumental three-volume GEOGRAPHICA, he took a global view of the world. With its title, he coined a new wordgeography. His work in chronology, theater criticism, and as director of the Alexandrian library were among the Greeks' valuable contributions to Western learning.