Among the ancient researchers who left behind a significant contribution, one can fully attribute Hekatei of Miletus. His figure, of course, is not as well known to the general public as the name of Herodotus, but the contribution to the development of science is undeniable.
Description of the era
To better imagine what time the scientist of Ancient Greece lived and worked, we will briefly describe the era of 6-5 centuries BC. e. This time for Hellas is 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, they listened to their opinion, which allowed Plutarch to note their outstanding merits in public affairs.
Historical science began to develop gradually, the first works appeared in prose about the history of the founding of some settlements. Reflection in scientific works found some historical events.
Time itself was conducive to the emergence of a researcher like Hekatey, who was familiar with the creations of his predecessors and could continue their work.
Life information
We have very little data on Hecateus of Miletus; his biography is currently not fully understood. It is known that he lived in about 550-490 BC. e., in the city of Miletus. Many data are controversial:
- According to the Byzantine Court (an encyclopedic dictionary), he lived in the era of King Darius (the years of the reign of the mighty Persian - 522-486 BC).
- In 499 BC e., according to sources, the historiographer was about half a century.
- It is believed that the year of death is approximately 476 BC. e., the researcher allegedly survived the Greek-Persian war, but in the Court, to which an unknown source refers, there is no such information.
Only one thing can be said for sure - Hekatey of Miletus was alive during the Ionian uprising, crushed in 494 BC. e. After this, as the ancient Greek scholar Diodorus of Sicily testifies, the historiographer successfully completed the mission of the ambassador to the Persian ruler Artafern and managed to agree on mutually beneficial conditions for peace.
Activities
Only fragmentary quotes of other authors from the main works of the great ancient Greek historian and geographer have reached us:
- "Geography" or "Traveling the world";
- "Genealogies."
Such a meager legacy caused large gaps in knowledge about the life and work of Hekateus.
However, some information is still preserved. So, it is known that the researcher had a very large fortune and, most likely, a 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, and vividly and figuratively described the traditions and customs of African pygmies. In addition to the texts, the traveler left behind a map, complementing and expanding the work of the philosopher and geographer Anaximander. However, it has not reached our days, it is known only by descriptions.
Geographical Descriptions
It is not for nothing that Hekatei of Miletus is considered one of the founders of ancient geography, it was he who created a detailed description of the so-called Oikumena - all countries known to the Greeks of that era. His main work, which came to us in the form of more than 300 disparate fragments, originally consisted of two books, entitled "Asia" and "Europe." The border between the continents, as the ancient Greek believed, passed along the Don River, then along the Sea of Azov. It is interesting that these representations were preserved in European geography until the New Age. However, Hekatey mistakenly included Egypt and Libya, African countries in Asia.
Scientific interests
Hekatey from Miletus was distinguished by 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 craving for knowledge, the researcher traveled, describing his knowledge and findings.
Contribution
Hecatei of Miletus and his works played a significant role in the formation of the geographical science of 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 research claimed universality - Hekatei of Miletus tried to create pan-Greek geography and history.
It was this historian who began to use the count of years for generations of 40 years, he himself compiled his own genealogy, in which he described 16 generations of his ancestors. She did not reach us, but a fact is known: in a conversation with Egyptian priests, the scientist of Ancient Greece mentioned that his family originates from the gods, which was generally characteristic of the worldviews of that time.
The researcher is especially valuable in that he managed to free himself from many prejudices of his era, sought 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 Hekatey, in science there were several types of works:
- descriptions of the shores were called peripl;
- descriptions of sushi - periegesis;
- periods were called detours of the earth.
It was Hekatei 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 life.
The relationship with the tyrant and views on the uprising
As a patriot and an educated man of noble birth, Hecatei of Miletus participated in a meeting of the tyrant Aristagoras and his close associates. The question of the Persian rebellion was being decided. The tyrant was eloquent, but behind his ardent statements hid insincerity and desire for personal gain. Hekatey opposed the uprising, explaining that the forces are clearly not equal and the advantage is on the Persian side.
However, the sage’s influence on the tyrant turned out to be rather weak, so the decision was made in favor of bloodshed. Then Hekatey tried to reason with the lord in a different way, suggesting that he strengthen his power at sea and concentrate on building warships, spending temple treasures on it. However, according to scientists, this plan was rejected due to superstitious fear and the excessive conservatism of the tyrant and his entourage.
Until the suppression of the uprising, Hekatey Miletus was an adviser to the tyrant Aristagoras, but he was very reluctant to listen to his advice. Even after his native Miletus was burned down by the Persians, and most of the inhabitants were enslaved, Hekatei did not despair, it was he who was instructed to engage in negotiations on peace on mutually beneficial conditions. He succeeded, the new taxes that the Persians imposed on Miletus almost did not differ from the previous ones, so Hekatey went down in history as a talented diplomat.
Hekatey and Herodotus
If Hekatei is considered one of the founders of the geography of antiquity, Herodotus is usually called the father of history. Both left a considerable contribution to the development of science, traveled and described in detail what they saw in their writings. Many of the features of the life of the Oikumens discovered by Hekatey 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 Hekatey.
The contribution of Gekatey Miletus to the development of ancient science is difficult to overestimate. This man was not only distinguished by a critical mind and rationalism, he traveled a lot and conscientiously composed a description of countries and nationalities. It was Hekatei who laid the foundation of modern geography, dividing Europe and Asia, and his contribution to diplomacy and history is significant.