Who among the following was first to measure the circumference of the Earth?

Eratosthenes (276 B.C. – 195 B.C.) is recognized as the first individual to scientifically measure the circumference of the Earth. He achieved this by utilizing the geometric relationship between the sun's rays and shadows at two different locations: Alexandria and Syene. By observing that the sun was directly overhead in Syene while casting a shadow at a specific angle in Alexandria, he calculated the Earth's circumference to be approximately 252,000 stadia. While earlier philosophers like Pythagoras and Aristotle had proposed or validated the concept of a spherical Earth, Eratosthenes was the first to provide a mathematical measurement of its size [2]. Other figures like Hecataeus and Herodotus contributed to early cartography and descriptive geography but viewed the Earth as a flat disc or focused on mapping known regions rather than calculating planetary dimensions [2].

Sources

1. [2] https://www.kngac.ac.in/elearning-portal/ec/admin/contents/2_18KP2G05_2021012802300467.pdf