THE JOURNEY OF PYTHEAS TO UNKNOWN THULE

The journey of Pytheas of Massalia to “ultimate” and unknown Thule, in 320 BC, is the first historically documented journey. Aiming to reach the islands of tin and alectrum for trade reasons, Pythias also made a scientific journey to the Northern Frozen Ocean, the “Cronian Sea”, reaching Thule, the “unknown land” of the ancients. Where exactly was this land located? It must have been Iceland, but it is possible he travelled as far as Greenland. The multitude of scientific observations of Pythias were used by all later geographers, astronomers and sailors. For the first time a journey was made so far north and for the first time the world was introduced to areas such as Ireland, Britain, the Baltic, Scandinavia and Iceland. This volume also refers to the extensive colonization of the Iberian Peninsula by the Greeks, from 2000 to 320 BC, as well as to the extensive network of trade routes throughout Europe that Greek traders and colonists established, exploiting the navigability of the river systems connecting the Aegean with Cornwall and the Black Sea with Marseilles.