Pytheas Documented Britain And Arctic

Around 325 BC, Greek geographer, explorer, and astronomer Pytheas sailed from Massalia, modern Marseille, becoming the first documented Mediterranean mariner to reach Britain and the first known Greek scientific visitor to describe the Arctic. His work contained the first known written use of "Britain" and the first written reference to Scotland, whose northern tip he called "Orcas," the source of the name Orkney. His original account, On the Ocean, disappeared, and later geographers, including Polybius and Strabo, accused him of inventing his remarkable northern journey.

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