Misc/Greenland Theory/12.19 Thule: Difference between revisions

Because Thule is the capital of the Greco-Roman Empire in Greenland, it is found throughout its respective history and mythology. Pytheas of Massilia was the first to write of Thule in his now lost work, “On the Ocean”. He wrote that Thule wass the farthest most northerly of the Britannic Islands and that there the circle of the summer tropic is the same as the Arctic Circle”. In “Geography” (c. 30 AD), Book I, Chapter 4, the Greek philosopher Strabo mentions Thule while describing [[People/Eratosthenes|Eratosthenes']] calculation of "the breadth of the inhabited world". He cites Pytheas who stated that Thule "is a six days' sail north of Britain, and is near the frozen sea". Strabo ultimately concludes in Book IV, Chapter 5 that, “Concerning Thule, our historical information is still more uncertain, on account of its outside position; for Thule, of all the countries that are named, is set farthest north". The Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder’s book “Natural History” (77 AD) also cites Pytheas' claim that Thule is a six-day sail north of Britain. When discussing the islands around Britain in Book IV, Chapter 16, he writes, "The farthest of all, which are known and spoke of, is Thule; in which there be no nights at all, as we have declared, about mid-summer, namely when the Sun passes through the sign Cancer; and contrariwise no days in mid-winter: and each of these times they suppose, do last six months, all day, or all night”. The “no nights at all” reference is apparently in respect to Earth’s second moon which is located above Greenland, refracting the light of the sun and thereby rendering day-like conditions year round. In the 1st century BC, Greek astronomer Geminus of Rhodes claimed that the name of Thule went back to an archaic word for the polar night phenomenon, stating that Thule was "the place where the sun goes to rest". In refining Thule's location, Pliny the Elder places it along the most northerly parallel as depicted in Book VI, Chapter 34 in which he wrote “Last of all is the Scythian parallel, from the Rhiphean hills into Thule: wherein (as we said) it is day and night continually by turns (for six months)". The Roman geographer Pomponius Mela also placed Thule north of Scythia. The Greek astronomer Cleomedes also referenced Pytheas' journey to Thule, but added no new information. The Roman historian Tacitus described in his book how the crews of Roman ships sighted Thule when circumnavigating Britain, a claim which appears to be purposely misleading. Lastly, the Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger wrote of a day when new lands will be discovered past Thule. Taken collectively, these accounts suggest that Thule (i.e., Greenland) lies to the northwest of the British Isles, likely under the North Star (i.e., Earth’s second moon).