PLOT OF THE EPISODE
The second episode of the series “Scientists Who ‘Discovered’ for Humanity” is based on the life of Eratosthenes, the eminent mathematician, as well as a renowned astronomer and geographer, a remarkable geodesist and a brilliant orator of antiquity, who served as Director of the famous Library of Alexandria for approximately 40 years. He is considered the founder of mathematical and astronomical geography. He was one of the first to use astronomical observations to determine various distances and to draw up geographical maps. He also devised a coordinate system based on parallels and meridians. Using an original mathematical method, he managed to measure the circumference of the Earth. This is one of the most important experiments ever conducted in the history of humankind.
The story begins in the largest library of the time, the Library of Alexandria, where Eratosthenes serves as director. There, Eratosthenes, a man with a great thirst for knowledge and a seeker of truth, read and learned about the Earth and the world, absorbing all the knowledge that a library’s books could offer him.
In the next scene, a man from Syene visits the library. Through a fictional dialogue, he tells him about a “magical well,” inside which, on a specific day of the year, the entire Sun appears.
This is the moment when Eratosthenes was inspired to conduct his experiment to measure the circumference of the Earth. Here is an explanation of his reasoning, his experiment, and his discoveries in simple terms.
The story ends with Eratosthenes inside the great library, feeling a sense of pride because he, too, had managed to make a small contribution with his work to the library he so admired.
Narration: George Eugenikos
Music composition: Mara Kaisari
Research and Text Editing: Christina Ververidou
Duration: 16' and 28"
You can listen to and/or download the podcast from the Eugenides Foundation’s channel on Spotify HERE.
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