Hecateus of Miletus can be fully attributed to the number of ancient researchers who left behind a significant contribution. His figure, of course, is not as well known to the general public as the name of Herodotus, but his contribution to the development of science is undeniable.
Era description
To better imagine what time the scientist of Ancient Greece lived and worked, we will briefly describe the era of the 6th-5th centuries BC. e. This is the time for Hellas - the heyday of the economy, culture and political innovation. The sages of those years began to take an active part in the activities of policies, their opinion was listened to, which allowed Plutarch to note their outstanding services in public affairs.
Historical science began to develop gradually, the first works appeared in prose about the history of the founding of some settlements. Some historical events have also been reflected in scientific works.
Time itself favored the appearance of an explorer like Hecateus, who was familiar with the works of his predecessors and could continue their work.
Information from life
We have very little information about Hecateus of Miletus, his biography is currently not fully understood. It is known that he lived around 550-490 BC. e., in the city of Miletus. Many data are controversial:
- According to the Byzantine Suda (encyclopedic dictionary), he lived in the era of King Darius (the years of the reign of the mighty Persian - 522-486 BC).
- In 499 B. C. e., according to sources, the historiographer was about half a century old.
- The year of death is believed to be around 476 BC. e., the researcher allegedly survived the Greco-Persian war, but there is no such information in the Court, which is referred to by an unknown source.
Only one thing can be said for sure - Hecateus of Miletus was alive during the Ionian uprising, suppressed in 494 BC. e. After that, as the ancient Greek scholar Diodorus Siculus testifies, the historiographer successfully completed the mission of the ambassador to the Persian ruler Artaphernes and managed to agree on mutually beneficial conditions for concluding peace.
Activities
Only fragmentary quotes from other authors from the main works of the great ancient Greek historian and geographer have come down to us:
- "Earth description" or "Traveling around the world";
- "Genealogies".
Such a meager heritage caused large gaps in knowledge about the life and work of Hecateus.
However, some information is still preserved. So, it is known that the researcher had a very large fortune and, most likely,noble origin, which gave him the opportunity to travel the world. He described his journey to mysterious Egypt and conversations with priests, spoke about many European and Asian cities, vividly and figuratively described the traditions and customs of African pygmies. In addition to the texts, the traveler left behind a map, supplementing and expanding the work of the philosopher and geographer Anaximander. However, it has not reached our days, it is known only from descriptions.
Geographic descriptions
No wonder Hecateus of Miletus is considered one of the founders of ancient geography, it was he who created a detailed description of the so-called Oikoumene - all the countries known to the Greeks of that era. His main work, which has come down to us in the form of more than 300 scattered fragments, originally consisted of two books called "Asia" and "Europe". The border between the continents, as the ancient Greek believed, passed along the Don River, then along the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. It is interesting that these ideas were preserved in European geography until the New Age. However, Hecataeus mistakenly included Egypt and Libya, African countries, in Asia.
Scientific interests
Hecateus of Miletus had a large number of hobbies:
- he traveled a lot;
- was interested in religion, geography and ethnography of other countries;
- his interests included the culture of the East;
- was fond of the history of Hellas of ancient times;
To satisfy his thirst for knowledge, the explorer traveled around describing his knowledge and findings.
Contribution
Hecateus of Miletus and his works played a significant role in the formation of geographical science in Greece and Europe as a whole. This researcher is known for taking nothing on faith and critically rethinking the achievements of his predecessors. His statements about myths were quite rational, and his research claimed to be universal - Hecateus of Miletus tried to create a common Greek geography and history.
It was this historian who began to use the calculation of years by generations, which were 40 years old, he himself compiled his own genealogy, in which he described 16 generations of his ancestors. It did not reach us, but the fact is known: in a conversation with Egyptian priests, a scientist of Ancient Greece mentioned that his family was descended from the gods, which was generally characteristic of the worldviews of that time.
The researcher is especially valuable because he managed to free himself from many prejudices of his era, strove to be objective, took part in the political life of his native Miletus and was an ardent patriot.
Great merit of the scientist in the formation and development of the geography of the world. So, it was he who managed to combine disparate facts into a single whole. Before Hecataeus, there were several types of works in science:
- descriptions of the shores were called peripluses;
- descriptions of land - periegesis;
- periods were called detours of the earth.
It was Hecateus who was able not only to generalize, but also to supplement these descriptions, to try to connect them with the history of peoples, a description of their way of life.
Relationship with the tyrant and views onrebellion
Being a patriot and an educated man of noble origin, Hecateus of Miletus took part in a meeting of the tyrant Aristagoras and his entourage. The question of the Persian uprising was being decided. The tyrant was eloquent, but his impassioned statements concealed insincerity and a desire for personal gain. Hecataeus opposed the uprising, explaining that the forces are clearly not equal and the advantage is on the side of the Persians.
However, the influence of the sage on the tyrant turned out to be rather weak, so the decision was made in favor of bloodshed. Then Hecateus tried to reason with the lord in a different way, suggesting that he increase his power at sea and concentrate on the construction of warships, spending temple treasures on this. However, according to scientists, this plan was rejected due to superstitious fear and excessive conservatism of the tyrant and his entourage.
Until the very suppression of the uprising, Hecateus of Miletus was an adviser to the tyrant Aristagoras, but his advice was listened to very reluctantly. Even after the native Miletus was burned by the Persians, and most of the inhabitants were enslaved, Hecatey did not despair, it was he who was instructed to negotiate peace on mutually beneficial terms. He succeeded, the new taxes that the Persians imposed on Miletus were almost the same as the previous ones, so Hecateus also went down in history as a talented diplomat.
Hecataeus and Herodotus
If Hecataeus is considered one of the founders of the geography of antiquity, then Herodotus is usually called the father of history. Both left a considerable contribution to the development of sciences, traveled anddescribed in detail what they saw in their writings. Many of the features of the life of the peoples of the Oikumene discovered by Hecateus were used not only by Herodotus himself, but also by his predecessors, which helped the development of the geography of the world. For example, Herodotus borrowed descriptions of the features of the fauna of Ancient Egypt from Hecateus.
The contribution of Hecateus of Miletus to the development of ancient science is difficult to overestimate. This man was not only distinguished by his critical mind and rationalism, he also traveled a lot and conscientiously compiled a description of countries and nationalities. It was Hecateus who laid the foundation of modern geography, dividing Europe and Asia, and his contribution to diplomacy and history is significant.
