Marinus
Μαρῖνος
(Μαρῖνος), of Tyre, a Greek geographer, who lived in the middle of the second century of the Christian era.
Works
He was the immediate predecessor of Ptolemy, who frequently refers to him. Marinus was undoubtedly the founder of mathematical geography in antiquity; and we learn from Ptolemy's own statement (1.6) that he based his whole work upon that of Marinus. The chief merit of Marinus was, that he put an end to the uncertainty that had hitherto prevailed respecting the positions of places, by assigning to each its latitude and longitude. He also constructed maps for his works on much improved principles, which are spoken of under PTOLEMAEUS. In order to obtain as much accuracy as possible, Marinus was indefatigable in studying the works of his predecessors, the diaries kept by travellers, and every available source. He made many alterations in the second edition of his work, and would have still further improved it if he had not been carried off by an untimely death.
Further Information
Ukert, Geographie der Griechen und Römer, vol. i. pars i. p. 227, &c., pars ii. pp. 194, &c., 278; Forbiger, Handbuch der Alten Geographie, vol. i. p. 365, &c.
From William Smith (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Text provided under a CC BY-SA license by Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Tufts University. Data accessed from https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-pdlrefwk/ on 17 October 2026.