Hipparchus, Who Was Distinguished For His Correctness
And Diligence In Every Part Of Geometrical And Astronomical Science, And
Who Had
Specially exerted those qualities in his endeavours to correct the
errors of Eratosthenes, had been able to add only the
Comparatively small
extent of 25,000 stadia to the computation of Eratosthenes. - _Plin. Nat.
Hist._ lib. ii. c. 108.
Eratosthenes seems, from the nature of his studies, not to have availed
himself so much as he might have done of the treasures contained in the
Alexandrian library under his care, to correct or extend the geographical
knowledge of his contemporaries. The same observation will not apply to
Agatharcides, who was president of the library after Eratosthenes. The
exact time at which he flourished is not known: according to Blair, he was
contemporary with Eratosthenes, though younger than him, and flourished 177
A.C., Eratosthenes having died at the age of eighty-one, in the year 194
A.C. Dodwell, however, fixes him at a later period; viz. 104 A.C.; but this
date must be erroneous, because Artemidorus of Ephesus, who evidently
copies Agatharcides, undoubtedly lived 104 A.C. Agatharcide's was born at
Cnidus in Caria: no particulars are known respecting him, except that he
was president of the Alexandrian library, in the reign of Ptolemy
Philometor, if he flourished 177 A.C.; and in the reign of Ptolemy
Lathyrus, if, according to Dodwell, he did not flourish till 104 A.C.
The only work of his which is preserved, is a Treatise on the Erythraean
Sea; and this we possess only in the Bibliotheca of Photius, and
incorporated in the history of Diodorus Siculus. The authority of
Agatharcides was very high among the ancients. Strabo, Pliny, and Diodorus,
always mention him with the utmost respect, and place implicit confidence
in his details. Diodorus expressly states that Agatharcides and Artemidorus
(who, as we have already mentioned, was merely his copyist) are the only
authors who have written truth concerning Egypt and Ethiopia; and Strabo
follows him in all that relates to the latter country, the countries lying
to the south of Egypt, and the western coast of Arabia. In fact, for nearly
200 years, the ancient historians and geographers drew all the information
they possessed respecting the portions of the world embraced in the work of
Agatharcides from that work. It has been well observed, "that when Pliny
speaks of the discoveries on the coast of Malabar in his own age, and adds,
that the names he mentions are new, and not to be found in previous
writers, we ought to consider him as speaking of all those who had followed
the authority of the Macedonians, or the school of Alexandria; of which, in
this branch of science, Eratosthenes and Agatharcides were the leaders."
From the circumstance that Strabo appeals very frequently to the authority
of Eratosthenes, in conjunction with that of Agatharcides, it has been
conjectured, that the work of the latter contains all that the former knew,
with the addition of his own information; and this conjecture is highly
probable, considering that Agatharcides had access to the sources whence
Eratosthenes drew his information; to the works of Eratosthenes themselves,
which of course would be deposited in the Alexandrian library; and to all
the additional works which had enriched the library from the time of
Eratosthenes, as well as the additional information which the extensive
commerce of Alexandria would supply.
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