Born c. 380 B.C.,
Massalia, Gaul [France]
Died c. 300 B.C.,
Massalia, Gaul

Pytheas has generated more interest than any other of the ancient explorers. There are those who say that he is the first known explorer in the modern sense of the word. As a result, most histories of exploration have something to say about him. Pytheas was the first person to write about the British Isles and the Atlantic coast of Europe. His book, On the Ocean, has been lost, but the Greek historian Polybias left an account of his travels.

Sent to Britain

Pytheas was born around 380 B.C. in the Greek colony of Massalia, which is the present-day city of Marseilles, on the southern coast of France. Sometime toward the end of the fourth century B.C., he was sent out by the merchants of his native city to find a route to the...