Hecataeus of Miletus (Hekataios)

Hecataeus of Miletus; Hekataios, OK. 540-OK. 480 years. BC. e. The oldest and most famous Ionian logograph. In 500 g. BC. e. tried to dissuade the Ionians from revolt against the Persians. A rich merchant in the shopping trips traveled much of the Persian empire, visited the Black Sea coast of Egypt, in a westerly direction arrives at least to Sicily. - When creating a geographical works Journey around the earth (Ges periodos; fr.) Uses as his own observations, and material distributed at the time in Ionia practical benefits for navigation (the so-called Periplus, cm. Geographical Literature). Traveling in two books contain a description of the countries, peoples and cities on the shores of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, this work is accompanied by a map, copied from the first Greek geographical map drawn up by Anaximander of Miletus.

The World According to Mr.. had the form of a flat oval shield, bathed by the river Ocean. The Inhabited World (gr. oikumene) extending east to the Indus River in the west - to Spain and the countries of the Celts in the north - to the Danube, and in the south to the upper reaches of the Nile. G. also lists the mythical peoples: arimasps and Hyperborean in the north, the Pygmies in the south, on the very edge of the world by the ocean. In the description of individual countries r. not limited to purely geographical details, but also results in interesting information about customs, natural features (fauna of Egypt), legends and beliefs of the inhabitants. Geographic composition G. had a great influence on later Greek historians and geographers. It was used by Herodotus, Gellanik, Eforie, Strabo, Pausanias. Another product of G. Genealogies were in 4 books, the author has collected in these mythic stories about the era of heroes. He tried to rationalize the myths, removing from them all the wonderful, building them in chronological order, and associating with the genealogies of the Greek genera. Over the lifetime of generation G. took 40 years. Istorizirovanie myths and attempt their chronological ordering were the first attempt at a critical approach to the historiography.