![Eratosthenes’ measurement of the Earth[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/49/66649-004-0C10672E.gif)
Eratosthenes knew that on midsummer day the Sun is directly overhead at Syene, as indicated in the figure by the solar rays illuminating a deep well. He also knew the distance between Syene and Alexandria (shown in the figure by the arc l), which, combined with his measurement of the solar angle α between the Sun and the vertical, enabled him to calculate the Earth’s circumference.
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