M Pytheas of Massalia

FR
Around -325

Pytheas of Massalia was a Greek geographer and explorer who sailed from present-day Marseille around 325 BCE to explore northern Europe. He is believed to have reached the British Isles, possibly Iceland or Norway, and was the first to describe phenomena like the midnight sun and polar ice. His lost work ''On the Ocean'' influenced many later geographers despite skepticism about his claims during his lifetime.