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Kratet MallskiyAncient Greek Stoic philosopher and grammarian, head of the Pergamene grammatical school, creator of the globe model. Also known as Crates of Pergamon.
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 Greece |
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Biography of Crates of Mallus
Crates of Mallus, also known as Crates the Cilician, was an ancient Greek philosopher, stoic, and grammarian. He was the head of the Pergamene School of grammar and the creator of a model of the globe. Crates was born in Mallus, a city in Cilicia, which earned him the nickname "of Mallus." He received his education in Tarsus and later lived at the court of King Attalus II in Pergamum, hence the nickname "of Pergamum." In Pergamum, he established his own grammar school.
Life in Rome
Around 167 BC, Crates was sent as an ambassador to Rome by King Attalus of Pergamum. Due to an illness, a broken leg, he was forced to stay in Rome for a considerable amount of time. During his stay, he delivered lectures and engaged in discussions that provided the initial impetus for grammatical studies and literary criticism among the ancient Romans. Unfortunately, only titles and meager fragments of Crates' numerous works have survived. One of his major works was an extensive critical and exegetical commentary on Homer, titled "Correction of the Iliad and Odyssey." He also wrote commentaries on Hesiod, Euripides, and Aristophanes, as well as "Pictures" and other works.
Contributions and Views
Crates was one of the prominent Greek grammarians of the 2nd century BC. The Pergamene School of grammar, led by him, stood in opposition to the Alexandrian school of grammarians, headed by Aristarchus of Samothrace. This theoretical divergence occurred both in the field of theoretical grammar and in the interpretation of Homer. Crates was the main representative of allegorical exegesis theory and insisted that Homer expressed scientific or philosophical truths in poetic form. He also conducted research on the structure of the Earth. According to Roman sources, around 150 BC, he constructed the first globe. His idea of a four-part globe shaped ancient and Western European conceptions of the world until the end of the Middle Ages.
Crates' Division of the Earth
Crates divided the Earth into five climatic zones. The polar regions were too cold, and the equatorial zone was too hot for human habitation. Only two temperate zones were suitable for life. He also divided the land into four continents, created by intersecting world oceans, one of which ran along the equator, while the other connected the poles through the meridian.
Crates named the well-known parts of the world (Asia, Africa, and Europe) with the common name "Oecumene." The continent, possibly located beyond the Atlantic Ocean, was named "Perioecumene," while the parts of the world inaccessible due to the heat of the equatorial belt were called "Antoecumene" and "Antihecton Continent." Crates also acknowledged that the seasons in the southern hemisphere should be opposite to those in the northern hemisphere.
