Eratosthenes and the Measurement of the Earth's Circumference

Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations Illustrations Tables Preface Section 1: Historical Background 1.1: The Sources 1.2: Eratosthenes, the man 1.3: Alexandria 1.4: Greek astronomical thought before the time of Eratosthenes Section 2: The Experiment 2.1: Eratosthenes' experiment 2.2: Eratosthenes' sundial 2.3: Time and the solstices in Ancient Eygpt and Greece 2.4: Ancient Eygptian and Greek sundials to the time of Eratosthenes 2.5: A replica of Eratosthenes' skaphe Section 3: The Analysis 3.1: The angle 3.2: Errors in Eratosthenes' methodology 3.2.1 The effect of Syene and Alexandria not sitting on the same Longtitudinal Meridian 3.2.2 The effect of Syene not sitting on the Tropic of Cancer 3.2.3 The effect of the oblateness of the Earth 3.2.4 The effect of non-parallel rays of light from the sun 3.2.5 The effect of the components of the shadow 3.2.6 The effect of the Earth's rotation 3.2.7 The effect of atmospheric refraction 3.2.8 The effect of operational and Instrumental error 3.2.9 The total effect of the errors Section 4: The Stade 4.1: The size of the stade 4.2: Previous estimates of the size of Eratosthenes' stade Section 5: The Re-examination 5.1: Eratosthenes and the 180m stade 5.1.1 Caspian Gates to Hecatompylos 5.1.2 Hecatompylos to Alexandria Aerion 5.1.3 Alexandria Aerion to Prophthasia 5.1.4 Prophthasia to Arachoti Polis 5.1.5 Arachoti Polis to Hortospana 5.1.6 Alexandria Aerion to Bactra-Zariaspa 5.1.7 Alexandria to Syene 5.2: The 180m Stade and the circumference of the Earth Section 6: The Circumference 6.1: The Accuracy of Eratosthenes' Circumference 6.2: Eratosthenes' legacy References Ancient and medieval sources Modern sources Electronic sources