Pytheas: the Marseille explorer of the frozen seas
p2Marseille and the Phocaeans · ANTIQUITY
Long before the great navigators of the Renaissance, a man from Marseille carried out one of the most daring journeys of Antiquity. His name was Pytheas.
🌊 A journey into the unknown
Around 325 BCE, Pytheas—sailor, astronomer, and mathematician—set sail from the port of Massalia. His goal? To discover the origins of tin (essential for making bronze) and amber, two precious materials arriving from the North.
He passed through the Pillars of Heracles (the Strait of Gibraltar), then controlled by the Carthaginians, and ventured into the Atlantic Ocean.
🧊 Thule and the “frozen sea”
Pytheas sailed along the coasts of Gaul and Spain, circumnavigated Great Britain (which he called Prettanike), and pushed even further north.
He claimed to have reached a mysterious land called Thule, located six days of sailing north of Scotland (likely Iceland or Norway). There, he described astonishing phenomena for a man from the Mediterranean:
- The midnight sun: In summer, the sun barely sets
- The “lung of the sea”: A strange mixture of water and ice forming a slushy, semi-solid sea (sea ice)
🔭 A genius of astronomy
Pytheas was not only a navigator. Using an instrument called a gnomon (a vertical stick), he calculated the latitude of Marseille with remarkable accuracy. He was also the first to understand that tides are linked to the cycles of the Moon.
📜 A story long doubted
Upon his return, Pytheas wrote a book: On the Ocean. Unfortunately, his accounts were so extraordinary that many ancient historians (such as Strabo) dismissed him as a liar.
It would take centuries for modern science to confirm his observations. Today, Pytheas is recognized as one of the greatest scientists and explorers in history.
Statue of Pytheas on the façade of the Palais de la Bourse in Marseille.
🧠 Key takeaways
- First explorer of the North Atlantic and Britain
- Discovery of Iceland (Thule) and sea ice
- First to explain the link between the Moon and tides
- A legendary figure of Marseille’s scientific genius
📸 Image credits
- Statue of Pytheas — Rvalette, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons