The seven climes (klima, plural klimata, meaning "inclination", referring to the angle between the axis of the celestial sphere and the horizon) was a notion of dividing the Earth into zones in Classical Antiquity. The lists of klimata found in early geographers vary in their extension, but by convention, they numbered seven, counted from south to north. This number was taken up by Ptolemy who in his Geography divided the northern temperate zone into seven zones (klimata). 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. ... The celestial sphere is divided by the celestial equator. ... It has been suggested that Greco-Roman be merged into this article or section. ... Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: ; c. ...

Aristotle, on the other hand, divided the Earth into five zones, assuming two frigid climes (the arctic and antarctic) around the poles, an uninhabitable torrid clime near the equator, and two temperate climes between the frigid and the torrid ones (Meteorology 2.5,362a32). Aristotle (Ancient Greek: AristotelÄ“s 384–March 7 322 BCE) was an ancient Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ... The red line indicates the 10°C isotherm in July, commonly used to define the Arctic region border The Arctic is the area around the Earths North Pole. ... Greek ἀνταρκτικός, opposite the arctic) is a continent surrounding the Earths South Pole. ... The equator is an imaginary circle drawn around a planet (or other astronomical object) at a distance halfway between the poles. ...

Ptolemy

Ptolemy gives a list of parallels, starting with the equator, and proceeding north at intervals, chosen so that the longest day (summer solstice) increases in steps of a quarter of an hour from 12 hours at the equator to 18 hours at 58° N, and then, in larger steps, to 24 hours at the arctic circle. Illumination of Earth by the sun on the northern hemisphere summer solstice The summer solstice is an astronomical term regarding the position of the sun in relation to the celestial equator. ... A sign along the Dalton Highway marking the location of the Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ...

But for the purposes of his geographical tables, Ptolemy reduces this list to eleven parallels, dividing the area between the equator and 54°1' N into ten segments, at half-hour intervals reaching from 12 hours to 17 hours. Even later in his work, he reduces this to seven parallels, reaching from 16°27' N (13 hours) to 48°32' N (16 hours).

In reducing his original system, informed by the spherical shape of the earth, into seven climes, Ptolemy was thus trying to reconcile his work with the geographical tradition of seven klimata. This division in seven zones may go back to notions of geography predating the idea of a spherical Earth introduced by Pythagoras in the 6th century BC. Persian tradition knows seven karshvar (Modern Persian keshvar) or zones, organizing the world map into a seven-storied ziggurat. Belief in a flat Earth is found in humankinds oldest writings. ... Pythagoras (approximately 580 BC–500 BC, Greek: Πυθαγόρας) was an Ionian (Greek) mathematician and philosopher, founder of the mysterious religious and scientific society called Pythagoreans, and is known best for the Pythagorean theorem which bears his name. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) // Overview The 5th and 6th centuries BC were a time of empires, but more importantly, a time of learning and philosophy. ... In the Avesta, reference is made to seven karshvar (Modern Persian keshvar), climes or zones, organizing the world map into a seven-storied ziggurat representing the cosmic mountain. ... Persian is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... Dur-Untash, or Choqa zanbil, built in 13th century BC by Untash Napirisha, is one of the worlds best preserved ziggurats. ...

Maybe for this reason, Ptolemy's system of seven climes was primarily adopted by Arab and Persian authors such as al-Burini, al-Idrisi and Amin Razi, the author of the 16th century haft iqlīm (seven climes), while in Europe, Aristotle's system of five climatic zones was more successful. This view dominated in medieval Europe, and existence and inhabitability of the Southern temperate zone, the antipodes, was a matter of dispute. The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Persian literature (in Persian: ) spans two and a half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. ... Al_Idrisis world map from 1154. ... Amin Razi (Amīn Rāzī) 16th century persian geographer, author of an encyclopedia called haft iqlīm (seven climes) Categories: Stub ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Antipodes (from Greek anti- opposed and pous foot) means diametrically opposed, and more specifically refers to the opposite side of the Earth, the region of the antipodal point, from where one is located. ...

To identify the parallels delineating his climes, Ptolemy gives a geographical location through which they pass. The following is a list of the 33 parallels of the full system of climes, the reduced system of seven climes is indicated by additional numbers in brackets (note that the latitudes are the ones given by Ptolemy, not the exact or modern values):

1. 12:00 (equator)
2. 12:15, 4°4' N: Taprobana (Sri Lanka)
3. 12:30, 8°25' N: Avalite bay (Saylac, Somalia)
4. 12:45 12°00' N: bay of Adulis (Eritrea)
5. (1.) 13:00, 16°27' N: Meroe island
6. 13:15, 20°14' N: Napaton (Sudan)
7. (2.) 13:30, 23°51' N: Soene (Aswan)
8. 13:45, 27°12' N: Thebes
9. (3.) 14:00, 30°22' N: Lower Egypt
10. 14:15, 33°18' N: Phoenicia
11. (4.) 14:30, 36°00' N: Rhodes
12. 14:45, 38°35' N: Smyrna
13. (5.) 15:00, 40°50' N: Hellespont
14. 15:15, 43°04' N: Massalia (Marseilles)
15. (6.) 15:30, 45°01' N: the middle of the Black Sea
16. 15:45, 46°51' N: Istros river
17. (7.) 16:00, 48°32' N: the mouths of Borysthenos (Dnepr)
18. 16:15, 50°04' N: Maiotian lake
19. 16:30, 51°06' N: the southern shore of Britannia
20. 16:45, 52°50' N: mouths of the Rhine
21. 17:00, 54°30' N: mouths of the Tanais river (Don)
22. 17:15, 55° N: Brigantion in Britannia
23. 17:30, 56° N: the middle of Great Britain
24. 17:45, 57° N: Katouraktonion in Britannia
25. 18:00, 58° N: the southern part of Britannia Minor
26. 18:30, 59° N: the middle part of Britannia Minor
27. 19:00, 61° N: the North of Britannia Minor
28. 19:30, 62° N: Ebudes island
29. 20:00, 63° N: Thule (Iceland)
30. 21:00, 64° N: unknown "Scythian people"[?]
31. 22:00, 65° N
32. 23:00, 66° N
33. 24:00, 66°08'40'' N: the polar circle

The equator is an imaginary circle drawn around a planet (or other astronomical object) at a distance halfway between the poles. ... The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (ශ්රී ලංකා in Sinhala / இலங்கை in Tamil) (known as Ceylon before 1972) is a tropical island nation off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent. ... Zeila (also Seyla`, Seelaac, Zaila, Zeyla, Zeylac, Zayla, Séyla‘, Seylac) (Somali: Saylac) 11. ... Adulis is an archeological site in Eritrea, about 30 miles south of Massawa. ... Aerial view of the pyramids at Meroe. ... Aswan (Arabic: أسوان Aswān) (, population 200,000) is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate. ... Thebes [Θηβαι ThÄ“bai] is the Greek designation of ancient Egyptian niwt (The) City and niwt-rst (The) Southern City. It is located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the Nile (25. ... Map of Upper and Lower Egypt Ancient Egypt was divided into two kingdoms, known as Upper and Lower Egypt. ... Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plains of what are now Lebanon and Syria. ... Rhodes, Greek Ρόδος (pron. ... For other meanings of Smyrna, see Smyrna (disambiguation). ... Hellespont (i. ... Marseilles redirects here. ... Map of the Black Sea. ... The Dnieper River (Belarusian: Дняпро/Dnyapro; Russian: Днепр/Dnepr; Ukrainian: Днiпро/Dnipro; Polish: Dniepr; Latin: Borysthenes, Danaper) is a river (2290 km length) which flows from Russia through Belarus and then Ukraine. ... Britannia, the British national personification. ... Loreley At 1,320 kilometres (820 miles) and an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second, the Rhine (German Rhein, French Rhin, Dutch Rijn, Romansch: Rein, Italian: Reno) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe. ... Sarmatian cataphract from Tanais. ... The Don (Дон) is one of the major rivers of Russia. ... Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost federal state of Austria. ... The Hebrides (Inner Hebrides in red) The Inner Hebrides are a group of islands off the west coast of Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. ... Thule as Tile on the Carta Marina by Olaus Magnus. ... Scythian warriors, drawn after figures on an electrum cup from the KulOba kurgan burial near Kerch. ... The polar circles is a name for the Arctic and the Antarctic Circle. ...

See also

• Climate
• Seven Seas

The traditional Seven Seas Medieval European and Arabic literature often spoke of the Seven Seas. ...

References

• J. Lennart Berggren and Alexander Jones, Ptolemy's Geography: An Annotated Translation of the Theoretical Chapters, Princeton University Press (2000).
• The Itinerary of Alexander through the Seven Climes of Antiquity according to the Aljamiado-Morisco Rrekontamiento del rrey Alisandre. Santa Barbara, CA. Fifth Annual Middle East Studies Regional Conference. March 22, 2003.