A Map of The Hellenistic World
Thoughts of the Hellenistic World
The period of Hellenistic Greece (324-100 B.C.E.) was the beginning of a new culture, one that was syncretistic. The former Greek culture was mixed with other cultures of the time, such as the Rome, India, and Egypt, and adapted in the Greek world. People began to see broader views of the world and many new ideas were created and discussed. In areas of science, art, math, and philosophy, people began to search for new questions and new answers. This time period was one of discovery and thinking.
The mix of cultures encouraged ordinary people to think in new ways, so there were many new scientists and geographers and mathematicians. They began to wonder about what they could learn about the world as it changed around them. Philosophers developed new theories about the meaning of life and math and science took off as people realized that what they observed could be turned into even greater knowledge. Math and science questions that had long been asked were reflected on. Everything from art to religion was changing, and Eratosthenes reflects the values and attitude associated with the Greeks of the time.
Eratosthenes was an observer of the details around him. He reflects the curiosity shown during Hellenistic times by his questioning of the world. He tried to create maps because he wondered what his expanding world looked like. He tried to find the distance around the earth and the distance from the earth to the sun and moon because he questioned his world. A great interest was shown in math during Hellenistic Greece, and Eratosthenes shared this interest. He worked with math to discover new prime numbers and tried to solve the long known problem of doubling a cube. One of the main areas in math that the Greeks worked in was geometry, and he used geometrical concepts when working to discover the circumference of the earth. The written works of Eratosthenes reflect the attitude of the Greeks during this time where documents were written to record important history or discoveries.
Eratosthenes also changed the nature of science and math through his discoveries. Before his discovery of the circumference of the earth, most people believed that the earth was flat. Eratosthenes found the circumference assuming that the earth was round, and the number he came up with was surprising. People began to believe that the earth really was round and that there was much more uncharted land and ocean than they had believed. Eratosthenes also changed the way people looked at math. Prior to the sieve that he created, it was not known how to come up with many prime numbers at once. He changed this by finding a method that people could easily use. People had a better idea of what the sky looked like and what the earth looked liked because of his maps, and his work in writing let others understand mathematical ideas that had not been explained before.
The mix of cultures encouraged ordinary people to think in new ways, so there were many new scientists and geographers and mathematicians. They began to wonder about what they could learn about the world as it changed around them. Philosophers developed new theories about the meaning of life and math and science took off as people realized that what they observed could be turned into even greater knowledge. Math and science questions that had long been asked were reflected on. Everything from art to religion was changing, and Eratosthenes reflects the values and attitude associated with the Greeks of the time.
Eratosthenes was an observer of the details around him. He reflects the curiosity shown during Hellenistic times by his questioning of the world. He tried to create maps because he wondered what his expanding world looked like. He tried to find the distance around the earth and the distance from the earth to the sun and moon because he questioned his world. A great interest was shown in math during Hellenistic Greece, and Eratosthenes shared this interest. He worked with math to discover new prime numbers and tried to solve the long known problem of doubling a cube. One of the main areas in math that the Greeks worked in was geometry, and he used geometrical concepts when working to discover the circumference of the earth. The written works of Eratosthenes reflect the attitude of the Greeks during this time where documents were written to record important history or discoveries.
Eratosthenes also changed the nature of science and math through his discoveries. Before his discovery of the circumference of the earth, most people believed that the earth was flat. Eratosthenes found the circumference assuming that the earth was round, and the number he came up with was surprising. People began to believe that the earth really was round and that there was much more uncharted land and ocean than they had believed. Eratosthenes also changed the way people looked at math. Prior to the sieve that he created, it was not known how to come up with many prime numbers at once. He changed this by finding a method that people could easily use. People had a better idea of what the sky looked like and what the earth looked liked because of his maps, and his work in writing let others understand mathematical ideas that had not been explained before.
