A Mathematical Borderscape in Eratosthenes’ Geographika: North-South Distances of the Oikoumene
Journal: Études et Travaux
Year: 2025

In the Hellenistic world, landscapes were often tied to the borders of kingship. This paper challenges the prevailing geopolitical framework by showing that Eratosthenes defined the oikoumene not by shifting imperial frontiers, but through a mathematical conception of its outermost edges. It examines how his Geographika constructs a borderscape shaped by intellectual inquiry and mathematical precision, drawing on geographical evidence through textual analysis, empirical observation, and scientif