PYTHEAS
c.380 - c.310 BC
Greek Discoverer





Pytheas was a navigator and explorer from Massilia (Marseilles), who was the first Greek to visit and describe the British Isles, and the Atlantic coast of Europe.

The merchants of Massilia wanted to find a sea route to the source of amber, which was used for jewelry.

In 320 BC Pytheas sailed out of the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean. He travelled along the European northern coast, all around Britian and possibly as far north as Iceland. His writings reveal also a scientific interest; he observed that the Pole star is not at the true pole and that the moon affects the tides.

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