Journey to the Ends of the Earth

Around 325 B.C., Pytheas, a Greek living in the colony of Massalia (present day Marseilles) set out to find the semi-mythical Tin Islands, the source of that rare ingredient needed to make bronze. His journey took him to the tin mines of Cornwall, but he went on to explore the island, calling by the name it has retained to this day … Pritanike. He made many stops along the western coast documenting their latitudes, up the Orkney Islands. From there, he set out to discover ‘Thule’, at around 64 degrees north, encountering sea ice. He got there around the summer solstice, for he reported that the days were 22 hours long. There is some debate as to where Thule was. with historians split on Iceland and Scandinavia.I went with Iceland. His journey took him to the Baltic, to discover the source of amber, before returning to Massalia to write a book about his adventure … which alas, has been lost. All we know are what contemporary authors said about it, quoting, and occasionally criticizing, him. So I am recreating this story, which gives plausible explanations how he accomplished this immense journey, along with the adventures he might have encountered along the way. And oh, yes, some love stories! I am at 250 manuscript pages along, hoping to finish this late this year or early next year. Look for it!