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Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh (c. 1552-1618 CE) was an English courtier, soldier, mariner, explorer, and historian. A one-time favourite of his queen, Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603 CE), Raleigh organised three expeditions to form a colony on...
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Ancient Geography of India
The first text in Greek devoted entirely to India was written by Ctesias in the fourth century BCE. Only fragments of it survive. Yet he was probably the most widely quoted author on India, although Aristotle treated him with contempt. However...
Definition
Claudius Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (c. 100 to c. 170 CE) was an Alexandrian mathematician, astronomer, and geographer. His works survived antiquity and the Middle Ages intact, and his theories, particularly on a geocentric model of the universe with planets...
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A Gallery of Historical Maps
This gallery of 30 maps traces the history of cartography, with examples of maps made by cultures from the Paleolithic to the early modern period. The maps cover cities, states, continents, sometimes the entire world as it was known at the...
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Eratosthenes' Map of the World
A reconstructed map of the known world according to Eratosthenes (276-195 BCE), the Greek Alexandrian scholar from Cyrene. (Bunbury, E.H., 1811-1895, 'A History of Ancient Geography among the Greeks and Romans from the Earliest Ages till...
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Map of Boston, 1775
A map of Boston and the surrounding country in 1775, during the time of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill. By J. DeCosta, 29 July 1775.
Library of Congress Geography and Map Division, Washington D.C.
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Duane Roller
Duane W. Roller is Professor Emeritus of Classics at The Ohio State University and the author of numerous books, including Empire of the Black Sea: The Rise and Fall of the Mithridatic World, Cleopatra: A Biography, Cleopatra's Daughter...
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Eratosthenes' Calculation of the Earth's Circumference
An illustration showing Greek scientist Eratosthenes' method for calculating the circumference of the Earth. By measuring the angle of a shadow in one location (Alexandria) and comparing at the same time with a second point (Syene) where...
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Hipparchus of Nicea by Raphael
A detail from Raphael's 'The School of Athens' (c. 1509 CE) showing Greek astronomer, mathematician and geographer Hipparchus of Nicea (c. 190-120 BCE).
Definition
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802) were a series of conflicts that arose from the tensions surrounding the French Revolution (1789-1799). The wars were fought between Revolutionary France and several European powers, most notably Austria...