the figure of the earth and the varieties of crustal relief. Hence
mathematical geography (see Map), including cartography as
a practical application, comes first. It merges into physical
geography, which takes account of the forms of the lithosphere
(geomorphology), and also of the distribution of the hydrosphere
and the rearrangements resulting from the workings of solar
energy throughout the hydrosphere and atmosphere (oceanography and climatology). Next follows the distribution of plants
and animals (biogeography), and finally the distribution of
mankind and the various artificial boundaries and redistributions
(anthropogeography). The applications of anthropogeography
to human uses give rise to political and commercial geography,
in the elucidation of which all the earlier departments or stages
have to be considered, together with historical and other purely
human conditions. The evolutionary idea has revolutionized
and unified geography as it did biology, breaking down the old
hard-and-fast partitions between the various departments, and
substituting the study of the nature and influence of actual
terrestrial environments for the earlier motive, the discovery
and exploration of new lands.
History of Geographical Theory
The earliest conceptions of the earth, like those held by the primitive peoples of the present day, are difficult to discover and almost impossible fully to grasp. Early generalizations, as far as they were made from known facts, were usually expressed in symbolic language, and for our present purpose it is not profitable to speculate on the underlying truths which may sometimes be suspected in the old mythological cosmogonies.
The first definite geographical theories to affect the western world were those evolved, or at least first expressed, by the Greeks.[1] The earliest theoretical problem of geography was the form of the earth. The natural supposition that the earth is a flat disk, circular or elliptical in outline, had in the Early Greek ideas.
Flat earth
of Homer.
time of Homer acquired a special definiteness by the
introduction of the idea of the ocean river bounding the whole, an
application of imperfectly understood observations. Thales of Miletus is claimed as the first exponent of the idea of a spherical earth; but, although this does not appear to be warranted, his disciple Anaximander (c. 580 B.C.) put
forward the theory that the earth had the figure of a solid body
hanging freely in the centre of the hollow sphere of the starry heavens.
The Pythagorean school of philosophers adopted the theory of a
spherical earth, but from metaphysical rather than scientific reasons;
their convincing argument was that a sphere being the most perfect
solid figure was the only one worthy to circumscribe the dwelling-place of man. The division of the sphere into parallel zones and
some of the consequences of this generalization seem to have presented themselves to Parmenides (c. 450 B.C.); but these ideas did
not influence the Ionian school of philosophers, who in their treatment of geography preferred to deal with facts demonstrable by travel rather than with speculations. Thus Hecataeus,
claimed by H. F. Tozer[2] as the father of geography on
account of his Periodos, or general treatise on the earth, did not
advance beyond the primitive conception of a circular disk. He
systematized the form of the land within the ring of ocean—theHecataeus.
Herodotus.
The idea of symmetry.
οἰκουμένη, or habitable world—by recognizing two continents:
Europe to the north, and Asia to the south of the midland sea. Herodotus, equally oblivious of the sphere, criticized and
ridiculed the circular outline of the oekumene, which he
knew to be longer from east to west than it was broad from north to
south. He also pointed out reasons for accepting a division of the
land into three continents—Europe, Asia and Africa. Beyond the
limits of his personal travels Herodotus applied the characteristically
Greek theory of symmetry to complete, in the unknown, outlines
of lands and rivers analogous to those which had been
explored. Symmetry was in fact the first geographical
theory, and the effect of Herodotus’s hypothesis that the
Nile must flow from west to east before turning north in
order to balance the Danube running from west to east before turning
south lingered in the maps of Africa down to the time of Mungo
Park.[3]
To Aristotle (384–322 B.C.) must be given the distinction of founding scientific geography. He demonstrated the sphericity of the earth by three arguments, two of which could be tested by observation. These were: (1) that the earth must be spherical, because of the tendency of matter to fall together towards a common Aristotle and the sphere.centre; (2) that only a sphere could always throw a circular shadow on the moon during an eclipse; and (3) that the shifting of the horizon and the appearance of new constellations, or the disappearance of familiar stars, as one travelled from north to south, could only be explained on the hypothesis that the earth was a sphere. Aristotle, too, gave greater definiteness to the idea of zones conceived by Parmenides, who had pictured a torrid zone uninhabitable by reason of heat, two frigid zones uninhabitable by reason of cold, and two intermediate temperate zones fit for human occupation. Aristotle defined the temperate zone as extending from the tropic to the arctic circle, but there is some uncertainty as to the precise meaning he gave to the term “arctic circle.” Soon after his time, however, this conception was clearly established, and with so large a generalization the mental horizon was widened to conceive of a geography which was a science. Aristotle had himself shown that in the southern temperate zone winds similar to those of the northern temperate zone should blow, but from the opposite direction.
While the theory of the sphere was being elaborated the efforts of practical geographers were steadily directed towards ascertaining the outline and configuration of the oekumene, or habitable world, the only portion of the terrestrial surface known to the ancients and to the medieval peoples, and still Fitting the oekumene to the sphere. retaining a shadow of its old monopoly of geographical attention in its modern name of the “Old World.” The fitting of the oekumene to the sphere was the second theoretical problem. The circular outline had given way in geographical opinion to the elliptical with the long axis lying east and west, and Aristotle was inclined to view it as a very long and relatively narrow band almost encircling the globe in the temperate zone. His argument as to the narrowness of the sea between West Africa and East Asia, from the occurrence of elephants at both extremities, is difficult to understand, although it shows that he looked on the distribution of animals as a problem of geography.
Pythagoras had speculated as to the existence of antipodes, but it was not until the first approximately accurate measurements of the globe and estimates of the length and breadth of the oekumene were made by Eratosthenes (c. 250 B.C.) that the fact that, as then known, it occupied less than a quarter Problem of the Antipodes. of the surface of the sphere was clearly recognized. It was natural, if not strictly logical, that the ocean river should be extended from a narrow stream to a world-embracing sea, and here again Greek theory, or rather fancy, gave its modern name to the greatest feature of the globe. The old instinctive idea of symmetry must often have suggested other oekumene balancing the known world in the other quarters of the globe. The Stoic philosophers, especially Crates of Mallus, arguing from the love of nature for life, placed an oekumene in each quarter of the sphere, the three unknown world-islands being those of the Antoeci, Perioeci and Antipodes. This was a theory not only attractive to the philosophical mind, but eminently adapted to promote exploration. It had its opponents, however, for Herodotus showed that sea-basins existed cut off from the ocean, and it is still a matter of controversy how far the pre-Ptolemaic geographers believed in a water-connexion between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. It is quite clear that Pomponius Mela (c. A.D. 40), following Strabo, held that the southern temperate zone contained a habitable land, which he designated by the name Antichthones.
Aristotle left no work on geography, so that it is impossible to know what facts he associated with the science of the earth’s surface. The word geography did not appear before Aristotle, the first use of it being in the Περὶ κόσμων, which is one of the writings doubtfully ascribed to him, and H. Berger Aristotle’s geographical views. considers that the expression was introduced by Eratosthenes.[4] Aristotle was certainly conversant with many facts, such as the formation of deltas, coast-erosion, and to a certain extent the dependence of plants and animals on their physical surroundings. He formed a comprehensive theory of the variations of climate with latitude and season, and was convinced of the necessity of a circulation of water between the sea and rivers, though, like Plato, he held that this took place by water rising from the sea through crevices in the rocks, losing its dissolved salts in the process. He speculated on the differences in the character of races of mankind living in different climates, and correlated the political forms of communities with their situation on a seashore, or in the neighbourhood of natural strongholds.
Strabo (c. 50 B.C.–A.D. 24) followed Eratosthenes rather than Aristotle, but with sympathies which went out more to the human interests than the mathematical basis of geography. He compiled a very remarkable work dealing, in large measure from personal travel, with the countries surrounding the Mediterranean. Strabo. He may be said to have set the pattern which was followed in succeeding ages by the compilers of “political geographies”
- ↑ A concise sketch of the whole history of geographical method or theory as distinguished from the history of geographical discovery (see later section of this article) is only to be found in the introduction to H. Wagner’s Lehrbuch der Geographie, vol. i. (Leipzig, 1900), which is in every way the most complete treatise on the principles of geography.
- ↑ History of Ancient Geography (Cambridge, 1897), p. 70.
- ↑ See J. L. Myres, “An Attempt to reconstruct the Maps used by Herodotus,” Geographical Journal, viii. (1896), p. 605.
- ↑ Geschichte der wissenschaftlichen Erdkunde der Griechen (Leipzig, 1891), Abt. 3, p. 60.
