From the Perspective of Hermes to the Cartographic Visual Point:The Shaping of the Geography by Ancient Greek-Roman Astronomy
In the study of the intellectual history of science,the geography of ancient Greece and Rome is different from its modern counterpart,but be-longs to the mathematical science.Accordingly,nothing has shaped geography more profoundly than astronomy.This influence began with Eratosthenes'new term"γεωγραφ(ι)α",which implied the geometric-astronomical description of the oikoumene.Later,Hipparchus criticized the Platonic inclination of Eratosthenes and pointed to a more radical methodological change of the astronomical geodesy.It is Ptolemy who systematically constructed the scientific motive,the frame of data measurement and calculation,the geometric viewpoint of mapping based on his astronomical study.This research not only serves as an important supplement to the history of the geography but helps better understand the ancient origin of our geographical image.
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