A New, Rational Endeavour for Understanding the Eratosthenes Numerical Result of the Earth Meridian Measurement

Abstract

Hultsch’s discovery of the 157,5 m value for the stadium Eratosthenes must have used, instead of the traditional olympic stadium of 185 m, in his famous determination of the length of the earth’s meridian, seems to have convinced the most modern historians as to the particular excellence of the result, contained within an error of but 1,5% on the real value. However, setting the problem on the mere basis of ascertained historical and geographical data and on the application of a more correct logic as regards modern data, leads one back again to the more traditional conclusions. Yet at the same time, it also allows room for granting recognition to the remarkable critical capacities of the Alexandria scholar in the utilization of observation data.

Lastly, a spontaneous hypothesis is advanced for the consideration of Hultsch’s stadium as an independent entity from the problem under consideration, and which could have been used by Eratosthenes in a given preliminary elaboration of his work.