Biography of Greek Philosopher Anaximander

Biography of Greek Philosopher Anaximander Anaximander was a Greek philosopher who had a deep interest in cosmology as well as a systematic view of the world (Encyclopedia Britannica). Although little about his life and world is known today he was one of the first philosophers to write down his studies and he was an advocate of science and trying to understand the structure and organization of the world. As such he made many significant contributions to early geography and cartography and he is believed to have created the first published world map. Anaximander’s Life Anaximander was born in 610 B.C.E. in Miletus (present-day Turkey). Little is known about his early life but it is believed that he was a student of the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus (Encyclopedia Britannica). During his studies, Anaximander wrote about astronomy, geography and the nature and organization of the world around him. Today only a small portion of Anaximander’s work survives and much of what is known about his work and life is based on reconstructions and summaries by later Greek writers and philosophers. For example in the 1st or 2nd century C.E. Aetius became compiling the work of early philosophers. His work was later followed by that of Hippolytus in the 3rd century and Simplicius in the 6th century (Encyclopedia Britannica). Despite the work of these philosophers, however, many scholars believe that Aristotle and his student Theophrastus are most responsible for what is known about Anaximander and his work today (The European Graduate School). Their summaries and reconstructions show that Anaximander and Thales formed the Milesian School of Pre-Socratic philosophy. Anaximander is also credited with inventing the gnomon on the sundial and he believed in a single principle that was the basis for the universe (Gill). Anaximander is known for writing a philosophical prose poem called On Nature and today only a fragment still exists (The European Graduate School). It is believed that many of the summaries and reconstructions of his work were based on this poem. In the poem, Anaximander describes a regulating system that governs the world and the cosmos. He also explains that there is an indefinite principle and element that form the basis for the Earth’s organization (The European Graduate School). In addition to these theories Anaximander also early new theories in astronomy, biology, geography, and geometry. Contributions to Geography and Cartography Because of his focus on the organization of the world much of Anaximander’s work contributed significantly to the development of early geography and cartography. He is credited with designing the first published map (which was later revised by Hecataeus) and he may have also built one of the first celestial globe (Encyclopedia Britannica). Anaximander’s map, although not detailed, was significant because it was the first attempt to show the entire world or at least the portion that was known to the ancient Greeks at the time. It is believed that Anaximander created this map for a number of reasons. One of which was to improve navigation between the colonies of Miletus and other colonies around the Mediterranean and Black seas (Wikipedia.org). Another reason for creating the map was to show the known world to other colonies in an attempt to make them want to join the Ionian city-states (Wikipedia.org). The final stated for creating the map was that Anaximander wanted to show a global representation of the known world to increase knowledge for himself and his peers.   Anaximander believed that the inhabited portion of the Earth was flat and it was made up of the top face of a cylinder (Encyclopedia Britannica). He also stated that the Earth’s position was not supported by anything and it simply remained in place because it was equidistant from all other things (Encyclopedia Britannica).   Other Theories and Accomplishments In addition to the structure of the Earth itself, Anaximander was also interested in the structure of the cosmos, the origin of the world and evolution. He believed that the sun and moon were hollow rings filled with fire. The rings themselves according to Anaximander had vents or holes so that the fire could shine through. The different phases of the moon and eclipses were a result of the vents closing. In trying to explain the origin of the world Anaximander developed a theory that everything originated from the apeiron (the indefinite or infinite) instead of from a specific element (Encyclopedia Britannica). He believed that motion and the ape iron were the origin of the world and motion caused opposite thing such as hot and cold or wet and dry land for instance to be separated (Encyclopedia Britannica). He also believed that the world was not eternal and would eventually be destroyed so a new world could begin. In addition to his belief in apeiron, Anaximander also believed in evolution for the development of the Earth’s living things. The world’s first creatures were said to have come from evaporation and humans came from another type of animal (Encyclopedia Britannica). Although his work was later revised by other philosophers and scientists to be more accurate, Anaximander’s writings were significant to the development of early geography, cartography, astronomy and other fields because they represented one of the first attempts to explain the world and its structure/organization. Anaximander died in 546 B.C.E. in Miletus. To learn more about Anaximander visit the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Mammoths and Mastodons - Ancient Extinct Elephants

Mammoths and Mastodons - Ancient Extinct Elephants Mammoths and mastodons are two different species of extinct proboscidean (herbivorous land mammals), both of which were hunted by humans during the Pleistocene, and both of which share a common end. Both of the  megafauna- which means their bodies were larger than 100 pounds (45 kilograms)- died out at the end of the Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago, as part of the great megafaunal extinction. Fast Facts: Mammoths and Mastodons Mammoths are members of the Elephantidae family, including the woolly mammoth and the Columbian mammoth.  Mastodons are members of the Mammutidae family, restricted to North America and only distantly related to mammoths.  Mammoths thrived in grasslands; mastodons were forest dwellers.Both were hunted by their predators, human beings, and they both died out at the end of the Ice Age, part of the megafaunal extinction. Mammoths and mastodons were hunted by people, and numerous archaeological sites have been found around the world where the animals were killed and/or butchered. Mammoths and mastodons were exploited for meat, hide, bones, and sinew for food and other purposes, including bone and ivory tools, clothing, and house construction. Mammoths The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), or tundra mammoth. Science Picture Co / Getty Images Mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius or wooly mammoth) were a species of ancient extinct elephant, members of the Elephantidae family, which today includes modern elephants (Elephas and Loxodonta). Modern elephants are long-lived, with a complicated social structure; they use tools and demonstrate a wide range of complex learning skills and behavior. At this point, we still dont know whether the wooly mammoth (or its close relative the Columbian mammoth) shared those characteristics. Mammoth adults were about 10 feet (3 meters) tall at the shoulder, with long tusks and a coat of long reddish or yellowish hair- which is why youll sometimes see them described as wooly (or woolly) mammoths. Their remains are found throughout the northern hemisphere, becoming widespread in northeast Asia from 400,000 years ago. They reached Europe by the late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 7 or beginning of MIS 6 (200,000–160,000 years ago), and northern North America during the Late Pleistocene. When they arrived in North America, their cousin Mammuthus  columbi (the Columbian mammoth) was dominant, and both are found together at some sites. Wooly mammoth remains are found within an area of some 33 million square kilometers, living everywhere except where there was inland glacier ice, high mountain chains, deserts and semi-deserts, year-round open water, continental shelf regions, or the replacement of tundra-steppe by extended grasslands. Mastodons Mastodon model in the Museum of Natural History Science, Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal. Richard Cummins / Lonely Planet Images / Getty Images Mastodons (Mammut americanum), on the other hand, were also ancient, enormous elephants, but they belong to the family Mammutidae and are only distantly related to the wooly mammoth. Mastodons were slightly smaller than mammoths, between 6–10 ft (1.8–3 m) tall at the shoulder), had no hair, and were restricted to the North America continent. Mastodons are one of the most common species of fossil mammal found, particularly mastodon teeth, and the remains of this late Plio-Pleistocene proboscidean are found across North America. Mammut americanum was primarily a forest-dwelling browser during the late Cenozoic of North America, feasting primarily on woody elements and fruit. They occupied dense coniferous forests of spruce (Picea) and pine (Pinus), and stable isotope analysis has shown they had a focused feeding strategy equivalent to C3 browsers. Mastodons fed on woody vegetation and kept to a different ecological niche than its contemporaries, the Columbian mammoth found in the cool steppes and grasslands in the western half of the continent, and the gomphothere, a mixed feeder who resided in tropical and subtropical environments. Analysis of mastodon dung from the Page-Ladson site in Florida (12,000 bp) indicates that they also ate hazelnut, wild squash (seeds and the bitter rind), and Osage oranges. The possible role of mastodons in the domestication of squash is discussed elsewhere. Sources Fisher, Daniel C. Paleobiology of Pleistocene Proboscideans. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 46.1 (2018): 229–60. Print.Grayson, Donald K., and David J. Meltzer. Revisiting Paleoindian Exploitation of Extinct North American Mammals. Journal of Archaeological Science 56 (2015): 177–93. Print.Haynes, C. Vance, Todd A. Surovell, and Gregory W. L. Hodgins. The U.P. Mammoth Site, Carbon County, Wyoming, USA: More Questions Than Answers. Geoarchaeology 28.2 (2013): 99–111. Print.Haynes, Gary, and Janis Klimowicz. A Preliminary Review of Bone and Teeth Abnormalities Seen in Recent Loxodonta and Extinct Mammuthus and Mammut, and Suggested Implications. Quaternary International 379 (2015): 135–46. Print.Henrikson, L. Suzann, et al. Folsom Mammoth Hunters? The Terminal Pleistocene Assemblage from Owl Cave (10bv30), Wasden Site, Idaho. American Antiquity 82.3 (2017): 574–92. Print.Kahlke, Ralf-Dietrich. The Maximum Geographic Extension of Late Pl eistocene Mammuthus Primigenius (Proboscidea, Mammalia) and Its Limiting Factors. Quaternary International 379 (2015): 147–54. Print. Kharlamova, Anastasia, et al. Preserved Brain of the Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus Primigenius (Blumenbach 1799)) from the Yakutian Permafrost. Quaternary International 406, Part B (2016): 86–93. Print.Plotnikov, V. V., et al. Overview and Preliminary Analysis of the New Finds of Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus Primigenius Blumenbach, 1799) in the Yana-Indigirka Lowland, Yakutia, Russia. Quaternary International 406, Part B (2016): 70–85. Print.Roca, Alfred L., et al. Elephant Natural History: A Genomic Perspective. Annual Review of Animal Biosciences 3.1 (2015): 139–67. Print.