Overview

For centuries, "ultima Thule" has been synonymous with the ends of the earth. Pytheas of Massalia (fl. c. 325 B.C.) first used "Thule" to refer to the northernmost land he visited during his North Atlantic voyage. Seneca (4 B.C.-A.D. 65) later dubbed it "ultima ('farthest') Thule." Though its precise location remains unknown, it seems certain Pytheas ventured at least as far as 62°N. He was also the first to circumnavigate Britain and to record accurate geographic and ethnographic information about northwestern Europe.

Background

Greek awareness of Brettanike (Britain) and sub-Arctic Europe was reflected in its mythology. The mystical river Eridanus was originally thought to flow north through western Europe and was associated with the production of amber. Homer's (fl. c. 850 B.C.) Illiad makes references to the land...