fl. c. 350 B.C.

Greek Astronomer, Geographer, and Explorer

Pytheas of Massalia was the first Greek to undertake an extended voyage in the North Atlantic, possibly visiting Iceland. He was certainly the first to circumnavigate Britain, first to document the midnight sun, and first to write on British ethnography. He was also the first to record the connection between the tides and the Moon.

Almost nothing of Pytheas's life or motivation for his voyage are known. He was from the Greek colony of Massalia (modern Marseilles, France), which was an important trading center in the western Mediterranean. Tradition has it he was an exceptional astronomer and geographer, having accurately established the latitude of Massalia. He would thus have been a valuable member on any voyage of discovery, especially an expedition conducted under official auspices for the purpose of obtaining information to enhance Massaliote commerce...