Having set the borders of the oikoumene, the ancient cartographers had to add more information about landscapes (e.g. A good reason why none survived (if such a globe was ever built). This was not only a very large object, but it was also quite useless, as the oikoumene covered only a small part of its surface. Strabo suggested that such a map would be shown best on a 10 feet diameter globe (Strabo, Geogr., 2, 5, 10, around 10 BC). Thanks to Eratothenes, the ancients realised that the oikoumene was located on the surface of a sphere (3-dimensional) and that putting this on paper (2-dimensional) would require some kind of geometrical projection. Jerusalem (or Delphi, or Rhodes) was generally represented in the centre of the map (Wikipedia). The ‘T’ is the Mediterranean, the Nile and the Don (formerly called the Tanais) dividing the three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa, and the ‘O’ is the encircling ocean. Arnaud, 1990, p 283): This T-O map is oriented with the north upside. Meanwhile, the simplified ‘T-O’ scheme was widely used, possibly based on Lucan’s description (Pharsalia, Book 9, verse 411, around 60 AD, acc. 350 BC), Eratosthenes came with a rectangular shape (around 220 BC) that was not widely adhered to until much later (see Cosmas Indicopleustes around 550 AD). In the wake of Ephorus’ description of the oikoumene (ca. Modern restitution of a typical world-map of around 500 BC, based on Hecataeus of Miletus’ telling about his travels around the world (‘ periodos’ or ‘periplous’). He was followed by Hecataeus, also from Miletus (Geus, 2018). Anaximander of Miletus is considered to be the first to design a map of the world around 550 BC. They first looked for the borders of the inhabited world ( oikoumene) and described it as a circular island in the middle of an external ocean according to the Homeric concept that survived two millennia until the Middle Ages. However, it proved to be more difficult to describe the earth floor.Īfter travelling the world, the ancients felt a need to put their knowledge into a simple overall view. It even showed both time and space on the same picture, thus linking Homer and Einstein to each other. The first description of this kind was provided by Homer on the “great and sturdy shield” made by Hephaestus for Achilles (Illiad, 18, 484-609).
#Arausio map full
This full 3-dimensional view would be the base of a cosmography showing celestial objects and deities. They built astronomical observatories used for setting yearly calendars. 80,000 legionaries and 40,000 auxiliaries and camp followers were killed in Rome's worst defeat since the Battle of Cannae, and the Germans then proceeded to invade Hispania.Humans have been watching the sky for immemorial times. His smaller force was easily stopped, surrounded, and slaughtered by the Germans, and the Germans swiftly counterattacked, encircled Mallius' legionaries, and massacred his men as well. However, Caepio did not want Mallius to get the credit for defeating the Germanic threat, so he launched his own attack on the Cimbri camp. King Boiorix of the Cimbri attempted to negotiate with Mallius, asking that his tribe be allowed to migrate into Hispania. Caepio only followed Mallius across the river in response to a Senatorial order, but he insisted on having a separate camp. In 105 BC, the 80,000-strong Roman army arrived in Gallia Narbonensis and encamped outside the town of Arausio on the Rhone. Caepio, descended from one of the oldest patrician families in Rome, resented having to take orders from a commoner, causing division between the two men. As Rome's greatest general Gaius Marius was fighting the Jugurthine War in North Africa, command of the army was given to the commoner Gnaeus Mallius Maximus, while the patrician Quintus Servilius Caepio was made his second-in-command.
Two Roman armies led by Quintus Servilius Caepio and Gnaeus Mallius Maximus were crushed by a much larger Germanic army of Cimbri and Teutons in present-day southern France in Rome's worst defeat since the Battle of Cannae during the Punic Wars.įollowing the disastrous Battle of Burdigala in 107 BC, the Roman Senate became aware of the threat of the Germanic Cimbri and Teutons and prepared an army of 80,000 troops to face them in battle. The Battle of Arausio was fought on 6 October 105 BC during the Cimbrian War.
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