Pytheas journey to the amber islands (approx. 330 before Christ)
Historians seem to agree that Pytheas from Marseille made a long and adventurous journey to the tin and amber islands in northern Europe in the second half of the 4th century. It is believed that Pytheas made many geographical and astronomical measurements and calculations during his journey with the help of a shadow rod (gnomon) and an angle measuring instrument called Polos. With these tools he was able to determine the distance of the celestial pole to the horizon and, as a result, the latitude of a place on earth. This outstanding astronomer/geographer was clearly ahead of his time.
Prof. Barry Cunliffe is convinced that Pytheas wanted to explore the routes by which the coveted and expensive raw materials tin and amber had been transported south for thousands of years. "Indeed, it is tempting to believe that one of its prime aims may have been to research the source of amber, as well as that of tin" (Cunliffe, page 139).
At the time of Phyteas, the Strait of Gibraltar had already been closed by the Carthaginians for two centuries. No ship could enter the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean without permission of the Carthaginians. For this reason, Cunliffe assumes that Pytheas followed the old Celtic road and river routes across France to the mouth of the Gironde river and then to Brittany. "If the aim of Pytheas was to explore the northern coast of Atlantic Europe and its tin and amber resources, rather than spending weeks sailing around the Iberian Peninsula, he could have travelled overland via the Aude and Garonne to the estuary of the Gironde and taken a ship there" (page 54).
For most historians it seems to be confirmed that Pytheas passed by the island of Quessant in the region of Brittany, the western settlement of France, and in further stages reached Cornwall with its offshore islands, the Irish Sea and the North Channel up to the Hebrides. On the basis of his reports about the day and night length it can be reconstructed that he was in the north of Scotland and on the Shetland Islands. Some historical sources indicate that Pytheas also visited Thule (most likely Iceland, according to Cunliffe).
Pytheas could have, according to Cunliffe, sailed along the entire western amber coast ("the entire North Sea coast from the vicinity of Dunkirk to the tip of Jutland, encompassing the mouths of the Meuse, Rhine, Ems, Weser, and Elbe") (Cunliffe, page 148). According to Cunliffe, "In prehistoric times Jutish amber appears to have been the most extensively exploited" (page 143). It is assumed that he travelled the same route back via Brittany (see map).
Literature:
Barry Cunliffe, The Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek, 2002 Penguin Books
Ltd, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England
Foto Banner: Malgorzata Twardo