We have no direct trace of the books of Pytheas. All that we know is transmitted to us by writers including Strabo, who themselves borrowed their information from scientists, historians, or geographers such as Hipparchus or Eratosthenes.
Below is a list of those historians, writers or scientists thanks to whom we can write the story of Pytheas. We have classified them in chronological order.
- Timaeus 356-260 BC
Timaeus 356-260 BC Neh in Taorminia, Sicily. He was expelled from the city because he was the son of the local tyrant. He then lived in Athens, where he wrote the history of Sicily, of which we only know a few fragments through writers who often criticized him, such as Polybius. He was a contemporary of Pytheas, whose writings he used..
- Eratosthène of Cyrène
Born in 275 BC in Cyrene, a Greek city on the coast of Libya. He studied in Athens and then became tutor to the son of the pharaoh Ptolemy in Alexandria. He gained access to the great library, which he was responsible for. His work is immense: philosophy, history, geometry, astronomy. He committed suicide in 196 BC, and nothing of his remains today. It is thanks to Strabo, who recorded his writings, that we know a little of his work, and particularly his geography in three volumes. He made extensive use of Pytheas' observations. He accurately estimated the circumference of the earth to within ten percent (250,000 stades) as well as the distance between the Pillars of Hercules and the Ganges, estimated at a third of the circumference of the earth..
- Hipparque
He was born in Nicaea in present-day Turkey. Later he stayed in Alexandria, then settled in Rhodes. He wrote his books around 150/130 BC. He was above all a mathematical scientist who made extensive use of the information provided by Pytheas: observation of the celestial north pole as well as measurements of latitudes. He would report them in modern notation (a circumference of 360° and unit divisions by 60). He proposed the system of parallels.
- Polybe
He was born around 200 BC in Megalopolis. After the Battle of Achaea he was taken prisoner and went to live in Rome with a family of Roman aristocrats, whose son Scipio Amilianus he became friends with. With him, he traveled beyond Gibraltar, towards Africa and explored the Atlantic coast of Spain. He stayed around 145 in Alexandria where he probably gathered all his information for the work on his "History". This initially had 33 books covering the period before 153; books 35 to 40 deal with the period from 152 to 146. Book 34 is devoted to geography. It is possible that when he became aware of the books of Pytheas he took offense at them, and it was from this moment that he systematically criticized the Marseillais.
- Geminos of Rhodes
Born around 110 BC, died around 40 BC, he wrote several scientific treatises that take up the theses of Hipparchus. He wrote a book in which he cites Pytheas for the most extreme regions. We do not know exactly when: some think around 30 BC, others around 50 BC, so in all cases after the fire of the great library of Alexandria in 49 BC, when Pompey occupied it and Caesar was besieging it. Proof that the book of Pytheas "of the ocean" was still available.
- Diodorus de Siculus.
He was born in Agyrion in Sicily in 90 BC. He is one of the main historians of this period. His work, the Historical Library, covers history for more than 1100 years. 15 books out of the 40 originals have come down to us.
- Jjulius caesar
He was born around the year 100 BC. In the Gallic War and in particular in the part devoted to Britain, he describes Ireland, not because he went there, but after reading books. Who could have written about Ireland before 55 BC, if not Pytheas ?
Cléomède
In the first century BC, he wrote a treatise on astronomy in Greek. He placed the sun at the centre of the world and took up some of Pytheas' descriptions..
- Strabo
The author who, despite appearances, gives us the most information about Pytheas. He was born in 64 BC in Amaseia, in the kingdom of Pontus (southern shore of the Black Sea). His birth coincided with the conquest of the region by Pompey. He spent several years in Rome. He later entered the Roman administration and traveled throughout the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt and stayed in Alexandria. At the age of 30 he returned to Rome where he ended his life. He died at the age of 88. His literary production is important: Historical Memoirs in 47 volumes which cover the period after Polybius (146 BC) until the fall of Alexandria in 31 PC, and Geography in 17 volumes. The latter was undoubtedly used by the Roman armies. It is not certain that he had Pytheas' books at his disposal. He never accepted Pytheas' observations. For example, he rejects the idea of the Armorican peninsula and says: "all the inventions of Pytheas", or, "he had the audacity to falsify his story" and again, "we can suppose that he hid the facts behind the observation of celestial phenomena and mathematical theories".
- Pomponius Méla
We do not know exactly where and when he was born. We do know, however, that he was writing around 40/50 AD. He wrote De Chorographia, a small book of less than a hundred pages that is a description of the known world. In it, he talks about Europe, and in particular Great Britain, Ireland and the Baltic Sea..
- Claudius Ptolemaeus
During the 1st century AD he was perhaps one of the men who saved science during the period of obscurantism of the Middle Ages. His work (Treatise on Astronomy and Geography) was transmitted to us by the Byzantines and the Arabs. Pytheas was a confirmation for him: in the north his system indicates latitudes expressed, from the equator, in hours of sunlight at the solstices (24H at Thule).
- Tacit
Roman historian born around 55 AD, friend of the Emperor Trajan, he became, in 112, governor of the province of Asia. He wrote the Vie Agricole which appeared in 98, showing his disagreement with Domitian.
- Pliny the Elder
Born in Como in 30 AD. He held important positions and went on campaign in Germania between 47 and 57. He then left the administration during the reign of Nero. The new emperor, Vespasian, his friend, called him backHe then began to write about fifty books on the Germans. The end of his life was devoted to writing his Natural History in 37 volumes. He was inspired by the Stoic doctrine which criticized what corrupted nature: luxury, morals, etc. He specifically mentions Pytheas in three of his books. He died a victim of his scientific curiosity while observing the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.
- Agathémère Greek
In the 3rd century AD he wrote a work "Hypotyposes Geographieae" whose second part is doubtful.e.
- Rufus Festus Avienus
Latin scientific poet of the 4th century AD. He wrote various works including Description of the Earth and Ora Maritima.
- Stephen of Bysantiump
Author of the 6th century PC, he wrote a geographical work based on Strabo and Ptolemy.