At a time when knowledge of the world was fragmented and based on travelers’ and merchants’ accounts, one man set out to organize the information and give it a scientific approach. His name was Marinus of Tyre, a Greek geographer, cartographer, and mathematician of the 2nd century AD, whose work laid the foundations of modern geography and paved the way for the great Claudius Ptolemy.
Marinus was born in the city of Tyre, located in the Roman province of Phoenicia. Although little is known about his personal life, his legacy in cartography and geography is unquestionable. His work was revolutionary for his time, as he was the first to apply mathematical and astronomical methods to the study of the Earth, in an effort to accurately represent the known world.
While his original work has been lost, his influence endures thanks to the comments and references of Ptolemy, who extensively used his discoveries in his work Geography. In fact, Ptolemy acknowledged his debt to Marinus, mentioning that his predecessor had been meticulous in collecting data, although he also pointed out some errors in his calculations.
One of Marinus’ greatest contributions was the introduction of a coordinate system based on latitude and longitude, which for the first time allowed each place to be assigned a precise position on a map. He placed his prime meridian at the Fortunate Islands (now identified with the Canary Islands or Cape Verde), establishing a starting point for measuring longitude.
Additionally, he used the parallel of Rhodes as a reference for latitude, marking a turning point in the way the world was represented. His method allowed for the creation of more detailed and accurate maps, in contrast to previous representations, which were often based on conjectures or myths.
Marinus says of the merchant class in general that they are only attentive to their business and have little interest in exploration, and that often, out of a fondness for boasting, they exaggerate distances.
Ptolemy, Geography 33
Another of his great achievements was the development of the equirectangular projection, a system that, though rudimentary by modern standards, remains a foundation of modern cartography. His focus on accuracy and the systematization of data was a milestone that influenced generations of geographers and cartographers.
Marinus also compiled information on the lands known in his time. He was the first to include China in Roman maps and to divide the world into time zones, a visionary idea that anticipated concepts that are fundamental today in geography and navigation.
According to his estimates, the inhabited world extended from Thule (possibly Norway) to Agisymba (near the Tropic of Capricorn), and from the Fortunate Islands to the city of Sera (in China). Marinus also calculated the circumference of the equator at 180,000 stadia, which is approximately 33,300 kilometers—a figure that, while underestimated by 17% compared to the real value, represented a significant advancement for his time.
Likewise, he was the first to use the term Antarctic as the opposite of the Arctic and divided the world into climatic zones, contributing to the development of meteorology as a scientific discipline.
Marinus’ work not only influenced Ptolemy but also medieval Arab geographers, such as al-Mas’udi, who cited his contributions to geography. However, his legacy is also surrounded by questions. Some scholars have debated the accuracy of his data and whether Ptolemy may have omitted or altered certain aspects of his work.
One of the great mysteries is why the latitudes of some important Mediterranean cities do not appear in Ptolemy’s records, despite his reliance on Marinus. Some have speculated that Ptolemy may have deliberately omitted information or that his sources were already corrupted by the time he accessed them. The possibility that Marinus had a more accurate knowledge of the world than has been recognized is an intriguing hypothesis.
In recognition of his legacy, in 1935, a lunar crater was named in his honor, a fitting tribute to a man whose work helped expand the horizons of human knowledge. Marinus of Tyre was undoubtedly a pioneer who transformed the way we understand our world—a true cartographer of the unknown.
This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on February 12, 2025: Marino de Tiro, el primer geógrafo que incluyó China en los mapas romanos e inventó el término “Antártico”
SOURCES
Antonio Santana Santana, El sistema geográfico de Marino de Tiro
Digital Maps of the Ancient World, Marinus of Tyre’s Map
University of Minnesota, Marinus of Tyre
Robert Kerr, The History of Voyages and Travels
Wikipedia, Marino de Tiro
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