Excerpt:
A versatile scholar, Eratosthenes of Cyrene lived approximately 275-195 BC. He was the first to estimate accurately the diameter of the earth. For several decades, he served as the director of the famous library in Alexandria. He was highly regarded in the ancient world, but unfortunately only fragments of his writing have survived. Eratosthenes died at an advanced age from voluntary starvation, induced by despair at his blindness