The Greeks highly valued the amber which 

 they obtained in trade with people from 

 northern and western Europe. Shown here is 

 a fifth-century B.C. amber carving of Athena, 

 goddess of wisdom, found in south Italy. 



The Hecateaus map (left) shows the extent of 

 the world known to the Greeks around 500 B.C. 

 By about 300 B.C. maps (one below, by 

 Eratosthenes) included the British Isles, 

 India, the mysterious "Thule," and parts of 

 southern Russia. 



a voyage of four days from the Continent. While the remaining one, 

 they record, runs out into the sea and is named Orka [Duncansby 

 Head?]. The shortest of the sides has a measurement of 7500 stadia, 

 and runs out along Europe ; the second stretching from the Strait 

 to the apex, 15,000 stadia; and the remaining one 20,000 stadia. So 

 that the whole circumference of the island is 42,500 stadia." 



While this is about twice the circumference of Britain, we must 

 make allowances for Pytheas; it is quite possible that he was mis- 

 quoted. 



We also have from Diodorus a description of the tin industry, 

 based on Pytheas' observations. "The natives of Britain by the 

 headland of Belerium are unusually hospitable, and thanks to their 

 intercourse with foreign traders have grown gentle in their manner. 

 They extract the tin from its bed by a cunning process . . . Having 

 smelted the tin and refined it, they hammer it into knucklebone 

 shape and convey it to an adjacent island, Ictis [St. Michael's 

 Mount]. They wait until the . . . tide has drained the intervening 

 firth, and then transport whole loads of tin on wagons. The 

 merchants buy the metal from the natives and carry it from [St. 

 Michael's Mount] to Galatia [France]." Pliny, quoting Timaeus, also 

 refers to Ictis and remarks that ". . . the Britons sail to it in boats 

 made of wickerwork sewn round with hides." 



23 



