In antiquity, he was credited with inventing the first celestial sphere. Atlas was said to have been skilled in philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy. Later, he became commonly identified with the Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa and was said to be the first King of Mauretania (modern-day Morocco and west Algeria, not to be confused with the modern-day country of Mauritania). According to the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, Atlas stood at the ends of the earth in extreme west.
Atlas also plays a role in the myths of two of the greatest Greek heroes: Heracles ( Hercules in Roman mythology) and Perseus. In Greek mythology, Atlas ( / ˈ æ t l ə s/ Greek: Ἄτλας, Átlas) is a Titan condemned to hold up the heavens or sky for eternity after the Titanomachy.
