▁is ▁a ▁circular ▁plate ▁surrounded ▁by ▁Ocean . ▁In ▁his ▁work ▁he ▁describes ▁the ▁earth ▁as ▁an ▁irregular ▁shape ▁with ▁o ce ans ▁surrounding ▁only ▁Asia ▁and ▁Africa . ▁He ▁introdu ces ▁names ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁Sea ▁and ▁the ▁E ry th re an ▁Sea . ▁He ▁also ▁divided ▁the ▁world ▁into ▁three ▁contin ents : ▁Europe , ▁Asia , ▁and ▁Africa . ▁He ▁dep icted ▁the ▁boundary ▁of ▁Europe ▁as ▁the ▁line ▁from ▁the ▁P ill ars ▁of ▁Her cules ▁through ▁the ▁Bos por us ▁and ▁the ▁area ▁between ▁C asp ian ▁Sea ▁and ▁Ind us ▁River . ▁He ▁regarded ▁the ▁N ile ▁as ▁the ▁boundary ▁between ▁Asia ▁and ▁Africa . ▁He ▁spec ulated ▁that ▁the ▁extent ▁of ▁Europe ▁was ▁much ▁greater ▁than ▁was ▁assumed ▁at ▁the ▁time ▁and ▁left ▁Europe ' s ▁shape ▁to ▁be ▁determined ▁by ▁future ▁research . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁case ▁of ▁Africa , ▁he ▁believed ▁that , ▁except ▁for ▁the ▁small ▁stretch ▁of ▁land ▁in ▁the ▁vic inity ▁of ▁S uez , ▁the ▁continent ▁was ▁in ▁fact ▁surrounded ▁by ▁water . ▁However , ▁he ▁definitely ▁disag re ed ▁with ▁his ▁prede cess ors ▁and ▁contempor aries ▁about ▁its ▁pres umed ▁circular ▁shape . ▁He ▁based ▁his ▁theory ▁on ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁Ph ara oh ▁Ne cho ▁II , ▁the ▁r uler ▁of ▁Egypt ▁between ▁ 6 0 9 ▁and ▁ 5 9 4 ▁BC , ▁who ▁had ▁sent ▁Pho en icians ▁to ▁circ umn avig ate ▁Africa . ▁Appar ently , ▁it ▁took ▁them ▁three ▁years