▁is ▁why ▁the ▁big ▁part ▁of ▁H omer ' s ▁world ▁that ▁is ▁port rayed ▁on ▁this ▁interpret ive ▁map ▁represents ▁lands ▁that ▁border ▁on ▁the ▁A ege an ▁Sea . ▁It ▁is ▁worth ▁not ing ▁that ▁even ▁though ▁Gree ks ▁believed ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁in ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁the ▁earth , ▁they ▁also ▁thought ▁that ▁the ▁edges ▁of ▁the ▁world ' s ▁disk ▁were ▁inhab ited ▁by ▁sav age , ▁mon str ous ▁bar b ari ans ▁and ▁strange ▁animals ▁and ▁mon sters ; ▁H omer ' s ▁Od ys sey ▁mentions ▁a ▁great ▁many ▁of ▁them . ▁ ▁Add itional ▁statements ▁about ▁ancient ▁ge ography ▁may ▁be ▁found ▁in ▁H es iod ' s ▁po ems , ▁probably ▁written ▁during ▁the ▁ 8 th ▁century ▁BC . ▁Through ▁the ▁lyr ics ▁of ▁ ▁Works ▁and ▁Days ▁and ▁The og ony ▁he ▁shows ▁to ▁his ▁contempor aries ▁some ▁definite ▁ge ographical ▁knowledge . ▁He ▁introdu ces ▁the ▁names ▁of ▁such ▁rivers ▁as ▁N ile , ▁I ster ▁( Dan ube ), ▁the ▁sh ores ▁of ▁the ▁Bos por us , ▁and ▁the ▁E ux ine ▁( Black ▁Sea ), ▁the ▁coast ▁of ▁Ga ul , ▁the ▁island ▁of ▁Sic ily , ▁and ▁a ▁few ▁other ▁regions ▁and ▁rivers . ▁His ▁advanced ▁ge ographical ▁knowledge ▁not ▁only ▁had ▁pred ated ▁Greek ▁colonial ▁exp ans ions , ▁but ▁also ▁was ▁used ▁in ▁the ▁earliest ▁Greek ▁world ▁maps , ▁produced ▁by ▁Greek ▁map m akers ▁such ▁as ▁An ax im ander ▁and ▁H ec ata