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The climes (singular ''clime''; also ''clima'', plural ''climata'', from Greek κλίμα ''klima'', plural κλίματα ''klimata'', meaning "inclination" or "slope") in classical Greco-Roman geography and
astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...
were the divisions of the inhabited portion of the
spherical Earth Spherical Earth or Earth's curvature refers to the approximation of figure of the Earth as a sphere. The earliest documented mention of the concept dates from around the 5th century BC, when it appears in the writings of Greek philosophers. ...
by
geographic latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north–south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pole ...
. Starting with
Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...
(''Meteorology'' 2.5,362a32), the Earth was divided into five zones, assuming two ''frigid'' climes (the
arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
and antarctic) around the poles, an uninhabitable ''torrid'' clime near the equator, and two ''temperate'' climes between the frigid and the torrid ones. Different lists of climata were in use in
Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
and
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
time. Claudius
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...
was the first ancient scientist known to have devised the so-called system of seven climes (Almagest 2.12) which, due to his authority, became one of the canonical elements of late antique, medieval European and Arab geography. In
Medieval Europe In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, the climes for 15 and 18 hours of longest daylight at summer
solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many countr ...
were used to calculate the changing length of daylight through the year. The modern concept of
climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...
and the related term are derived from the historical concept of ''climata''.


Ptolemy

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importance ...
gives a list of parallels, starting with the equator, and proceeding north at intervals, chosen so that the longest day (summer
solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many countr ...
) increases in steps of a quarter of an hour from 12 hours at the equator to 18 hours at 58° N, and then, in larger steps, to 24 hours at the arctic circle. But for the purposes of his geographical tables, Ptolemy reduces this list to eleven parallels, dividing the area between the equator and 54°1' N into ten segments, at half-hour intervals reaching from 12 hours to 17 hours. Even later in his work, he reduces this to seven parallels, reaching from 16°27' N (13 hours) to 48°32' N (16 hours). Ptolemy's system of seven climes was primarily adopted in Arabo-Persian astronomy, by authors such as
al-Biruni Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (973 – after 1050) commonly known as al-Biruni, was a Khwarazmian Iranian in scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been called variously the "founder of Indology", "Father of Co ...
and al-Idrisi, and eventually by
Amīn Rāzī Amin Razi also known as ''Omid'') was a Safavid-era (16th to 17th century) Persian geographer, author of a geographical and biographical encyclopedia ('' tadhkirah'') called ''Haft iqlīm'' ( "seven climes") based on the system of seven climes ...
, the author of the 16th-century ''haft iqlīm'' ("seven climes"), while in Europe, Aristotle's system of five climes was more successful. This view dominated in medieval Europe, and existence and inhabitability of the Southern temperate zone, the antipodes, was a matter of dispute.


Thirty-nine parallels

To identify the parallels delineating his climes, Ptolemy gives a geographical location through which they pass. The following is a list of the 33 parallels between the equator and the polar circle (39 parallels between the equator and the pole)Otto Neugebauer, ''A History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomy'', (New York: Springer Verlag, 1975), pp. 43–5. of the full system of climes; the reduced system of seven climes is indicated by additional numbers in brackets (note that the latitudes are the ones given by Ptolemy, not the modern exact values): {, class="wikitable" , - ! parallel ! clima ! latitude ! longest daylight ! location , - , 1. , , 0° , 12 hours , ( equator) , - , 2. , , 4°4' N , 12:15 , Taprobana ( Sri Lanka) , - , 3. , , 8°25' N , 12:30 ,
Avalites Avalites ( grc, Αὐαλίτης or ) was a small port in what is today Somalia that dominated trade in the Red Sea and Mediterranean. Location There has been a series of disputes as to the location of Avalites According to the ''Periplus of th ...
( Saylac,
Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
) , - , 4. , , 12°00' N , 12:45 , bay of
Adulis Adulis (Sabaean: ሰበኣ 𐩱 𐩵 𐩡 𐩪, gez, ኣዱሊስ, grc, Ἄδουλις) was an ancient city along the Red Sea in the Gulf of Zula, about south of Massawa. Its ruins lie within the modern Eritrean city of Zula. It was the e ...
( Eritrea) , - , 5. , I , 16°27' N , 13:00 , Meroe island , - , 6. , , 20°14' N , 13:15 , Napaton (
Nubia Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...
) , - , 7. , II , 23°51' N , 13:30 ,
Syene Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of t ...
(
Aswan Aswan (, also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the ...
) , - , 8. , , 27°12' N , 13:45 , Thebes , - , 9. , III , 30°22' N , 14:00 , Lower Egypt , - , 10. , , 33°18' N , 14:15 ,
Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...
, - , 11. , IV , 36°00' N , 14:30 ,
Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...
, - , 12. , , 38°35' N , 14:45 ,
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
, - , 13. , V , 40°56' N , 15:00 , Hellespont , - , 14. , , 43°04' N , 15:15 , Massalia ( Marseilles) , - , 15. , VI , 45°01' N , 15:30 , the middle of the Euxine Sea , - , 16. , , 46°51' N , 15:45 , Istros (Danube) , - , 17. , VII , 48°32' N , 16:00 , the mouths of Borysthenes ( Dnepr) , - , 18. , , 50°04' N , 16:15 , Maeotian Lake ( Sea of Azov) , - , 19. , , 51°06' N , 16:30 , the southern shore of
Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...
, - , 20. , , 52°50' N , 16:45 , mouths of the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
, - , 21. , , 54°1' , 17:00 , mouths of the
Tanais Tanais ( el, Τάναϊς ''Tánaïs''; russian: Танаис) was an ancient Greek city in the Don river delta, called the Maeotian marshes in classical antiquity. It was a bishopric as Tana and remains a Latin Catholic titular see as Tana ...
river (
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...
) , - , 22. , , 55° N , 17:15 , Brigantion in Britannia , - , 23. , , 56° N , 17:30 , the middle of
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
, - , 24. , , 57° N , 17:45 , Katouraktonion in Britannia , - , 25. , , 58° N , 18:00 , the southern part of Britannia MinorΜικρὰ Βρεττανία, later the name of
Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
but by Ptolemy used to refer to
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
(even though the latitudes given are too far north for the actual location of Ireland).
, - , 26. , , 59° N , 18:30 , the middle part of Britannia Minor , - , 27. , , 61° N , 19:00 , the northern part of Britannia Minor , - , 28. , , 62° N , 19:30 , Ebudes island , - , 29. , , 63° N , 20 hours ,
Thule Thule ( grc-gre, Θούλη, Thoúlē; la, Thūlē) is the most northerly location mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman literature and cartography. Modern interpretations have included Orkney, Shetland, northern Scotland, the island of Saar ...
, - , 30. , , 64°30' N , 21 hours , unknown
Scythians The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Centra ...
, - , 31. , , 65°30' N , 22 hours , , - , 32. , , 66° N , 23 hours , , - , 33. , , 66°8'40"N{{dubious, date=October 2015 , 24 hours , polar circle , - , , , 69°30' N , 2 months , , - , , , 78°20' N , 4 months , , - , 39. , , 90° N , 6 months , (
North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...
) , -


See also

*
Geographical zone The five main latitude regions of Earth's surface comprise geographical zones, divided by the major circles of latitude. The differences between them relate to climate. They are as follows: # The North Frigid Zone, between the North Pole at 90 ...
*
Climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...
* Four continents *
Roof of the World The Roof of the World or Top of the World is a metaphoric epithet or phrase used to describe the high region in the world, also known as High Asia. The term usually refers to the mountainous interior of Asia, including the Pamirs, the Himalayas, ...
* Seven Heavens *
Seven Seas The "Seven Seas" is a figurative term for all the seas of the known world. The phrase is used in reference to sailors and pirates in the arts and popular culture and can be associated with the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Seven Seas east of Af ...


References


Bibliography

* Berggren J.L., Jones A. (2000). ''Ptolemy's Geography: An Annotated Translation of the Theoretical Chapters''. Princeton University Press. 216 p. * Dicks D.R. (1955). "The ΚΛΙΜΑΤΑ in the Greek Geography". ''Classical Quarterly'' 5 (49): 248–255. * Dicks D.R. (1956). "Strabo and the ΚΛΙΜΑΤΑ". ''Classical Quarterly'' 6 (50): 243–247. * Dicks D.R. (1960) ''The Geographical Fragments of Hipparchus''. London: Athlon Press. XI, 214 p. * Diller A. (1934). "Geographical Latitudes in Eratosthenes, Hipparchus and Posidonius". ''Klio'' 27 (3): 258–269. * Honigmann E. (1929). ''Die sieben Klimata und die πολεις επισημοι''. Eine Untersuchung zur Geschichte der Geographie und Astrologie in Altertum und Mittelalter. Heidelberg: Carl Winter's Universitätsbuchhandlung. 247 S. * ''The Itinerary of Alexander through the Seven Climes of Antiquity according to the Aljamiado-Morisco Rrekontamiento del rrey Alisandre.'' Santa Barbara, CA. Fifth Annual Middle East Studies Regional Conference. March 22, 2003. * Kubitschek W. (1921). "Klima 2". ''Real-Encyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft''. Ed. A. F. von Pauly, G. Wissowa et al. Stuttgart. Bd. XI.1: 838–844. * Marcotte D. (1998). "La climatologie d'Ératosthène à Poséidonios: genèse d'une science humaine". G. Argoud, J.Y. Guillaumin (eds.). ''Sciences exactes et sciences appliquées à Alexandrie (IIIe siècle av J.C. – Ier ap J.C.)''. Saint Etienne: Publications de l'Université de Saint Etienne: 263–277. * Neugebauer O. (1975). ''A History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomy''. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer Verlag: 43–45, 333–336, 725–733. * Shcheglov D.A. (2004/2006). "Ptolemy's System of Seven Climata and Eratosthenes' Geography". ''Geographia Antiqua'' 13: 21–37. * Shcheglov D.A. (2006):
Eratosthenes' Parallel of Rhodes and the History of the System of Climata
. ''Klio'' 88: 351–359. * Szabó Á. (1992). ''Das geozentrische Weltbild. Astronomie, Geographie und Mathematik der Griechen''. München: Dt. TaschenbuchVerlag. 377 S. * Szabó Á., Maula E. (1986). ''Les débuts de l'astronomie de la géographie et de la trigonométrie chez les grecs''. Traduit par M. Federspiel. Paris: Libr. philos. J. Vrin. 238 p.


Further reading

* Corbin, Henry (1977).
Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth: From Mazdean Iran to Shi'ite Iran
'. Princeton University Press. pp. 17-50.
Ancient Greek geography ;Pre-Hellenistic Classical Greece *Homer * Anaximander * Hecataeus of Miletus * Massaliote Periplus * Scylax of Caryanda (6th century BC) *Herodotus ;Hellenistic period * Pytheas (died c. 310 BC) *''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' (3rd or 4th centur ...
Climate and weather classification systems