See also:

• POMPONIUS, LUCIUS

POMPONIUS See also:

• POMPONIUS MELA (ft. c. A.D. 43)

MELA (ft. c. A.D. 43)  , the earliest See also:

• ROMAN

Roman geographer . His little See also:

• WORK

work (De situ orbis libri III.) is a See also:

• MERE
• MERE, ADALBERT (1838-1909)

mere compendium, occupying less than one See also:

• HUNDRED

hundred pages of See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary See also:

• PRINT

print, dry in See also:

• STYLE
• STYLE (from Gr. a-6'1ms, a column; a different word from that used in literature, see below)

style and deficient in method, but of pure Latinity, and occasionally relieved by pleasing word-pictures . Excepting the See also:

• GEOGRAPHICAL

geographical parts of See also:

• PLINY, THE ELDER
• PLINY, THE YOUNGER

Pliny's Historic naturalis (where See also:

• MELA, POMPONIUS (ft. c. A.D. 43)

Mela is cited as an important authority) the De situ orbis is the only formal See also:

• TREATISE

treatise on the subject in classical Latin . Nothing is known of the author except his name and birthplace—the small See also:

• TOWN

town of Tingentera or Cingentera in See also:

• SOUTHERN

southern See also:

• SPAIN
• SPAIN (Espana)

Spain, on See also:

• ALGECIRAS, or ALGEZIRAS

Algeciras See also:

• BAY

Bay (Mela ii . 6, § 96; but the See also:

• TEXT (Lat. textum, woven fabric, from texere, to weave)

text is here corrupt) . The date of his See also:

• WRITING
• WRITING (the verbal noun of " to write," O. Eng. writan, to inscribe)

writing may be approximately fixed by his allusion (iii . 6 § 49) to a proposed See also:

• BRITISH

British expedition of the reigning See also:

• EMPEROR (Fr. empereur, from the Lat. imperator)

emperor, almost certainly that of See also:

• CLAUDIUS
• CLAUDIUS [TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS NERO GERMANICUS]
• CLAUDIUS, MARCUS AURELIUS
• CLAUDIUS, MATTHIAS (174o-1815)

Claudius in A.D . 43 . That this passage cannot refer to See also:

• JULIUS

Julius See also:

• CAESAR, GAIUS JULIUS (102—44 B.c.)
• CAESAR, SIR JULIUS (1557-1558-1636)

Caesar is proved by 87 several references to events of See also:

• AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)

Augustus's reign, especially to certain new names given to See also:

• SPANISH

Spanish towns . Mela has been without See also:

• PROBABILITY (Lat. probabilis, probable or credible)

probability identified by some with L . Annaeus Mela of Corduba, son of See also:

• SENECA

Seneca the rhetorician, and See also:

• BROTHER

brother of the See also:

• GREAT

great The See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general views of the De situ orbis mainly agree with those current among See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek writers from Eratosthenes to See also:

• STRABO (born c. 63 n.c.)

Strabo; the latter was probably unknown to Mela . But See also:

• POMPONIUS, LUCIUS

Pomponius is unique among See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient geographers in that, after dividing the See also:

• EARTH
• EARTH (a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Erde, Dutch aarde, Swed. and Dan. jord; outside Teutonic it appears only in the Gr. 'pq'e, on the ground; it has been connected by some etymologists with the Aryan root ar-, to plough, which is seen in
• EARTH, FIGURE OF
• EARTH, FIGURE OF THE

earth into five zones, of which two only were habitable, he asserts the existence of antichthones, inhabiting the southern temperate See also:

• ZONE (Gr. 'WV77, a girdle, from 'wvvLvay to gird)

zone inaccessible to the folk of the See also:

• NORTHERN

northern temperate regions from the unbearable See also:

• HEAT (0. E. haktu, which like " hot," Old Eng. hat, is from the Teutonic type haita, hit, to be hot; cf. Ger. hitze, heiss; Dutch, hitte, heet, &c.)

heat of the intervening torrid See also:

• BELT (a word common to Teutonic languages, the Old Ger. form being bale, from which the Lat. balteus probably derived)
• BELT, THOMAS (1832-1878)

belt .

On the divisions and boundaries of See also:

• EUROPE

Europe, See also:

• ASIA

Asia and See also:

• AFRICA
• AFRICA, ROMAN

Africa, he repeats Eratosthenes; like all classical geographers from See also:

• ALEXANDER
• ALEXANDER (1461-1506)
• ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OF BATTENBERG) (1857-1893)
• ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OsxENOVici) (1876-1903)
• ALEXANDER, ARCHIBALD (1772—1851)
• ALEXANDER, FRANCIS (1800—1881)
• ALEXANDER, GEORGE (1858— )
• ALEXANDER, JOHN WHITE (1856- )
• ALEXANDER, JOSEPH ADDISON (18o9—186o)
• ALEXANDER, SIR JAMES EDWARD (1803—1885)
• ALEXANDER, WILLIAM (1824— )
• ALEXANDER, WILLIAM LINDSAY (1808—1884)

Alexander the Great (except See also:

• PTOLEMY (CLAUDIUS PTOLEMAEUS)

Ptolemy) he regards the See also:

• CASPIAN

Caspian See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

Sea as an inlet of the Northern Ocean, corresponding to the See also:

• PERSIAN
• PERSIAN, SYRIAN, EGYPTIAN AND TURKISH

Persian and Arabian (Red Sea) gulfs on the See also:

• SOUTH
• SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

south . His See also:

• INDIAN

Indian conceptions are inferior to those of some earlier Greek writers; he follows Eratosthenes in supposing that See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country to occupy the south-eastern See also:

• ANGLE (from the Lat. angulus, a corner, a diminutive, of which the primitive form, angus, does not occur in Latin; cognate are the Lat. angere, to compress into a bend or to strangle, and the Gr. ayKOS, a bend; both connected with the Aryan root ank-, to

angle of Asia, whence the See also:

• COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast trended northwards to See also:

• SCYTHIA (Gr. EKuOia)

Scythia; and then swept See also:

• ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round westward to the Caspian Sea . As usual, he places the Rhipaean Mountains and the See also:

• HYPERBOREANS (`Tirep(3bpeot, `Taepf3bpeiot)

Hyperboreans near the Scythian Ocean . In western Europe his knowledge (as was natural in a Spanish subject of Imperial See also:

• ROME
• ROME (Roma)

Rome) was somewhat in advance of the Greek geographers . He defines the western coast-See also:

• LINE

line of Spain and See also:

• GAUL
• GAUL, GILBERT WILLIAM (1855— )

Gaul and its indentation by the Bay of See also:

• BISCAY (Vizcaya)
• BISCAY, BAY OF (Fr. Golfe de Gascogne; Sp. Golfo de Vizcaya)

Biscay more accurately than Eratosthenes or Strabo, his ideas of the British Isles and their position are also clearer than his predecessors' . He is the first to name the Orcades or Orkneys, which he defines and locates See also:

• PRETTY

pretty correctly . Of northern Europe his knowledge was imperfect, but he 'speaks vaguely of a great bay (" Codanus sinus ") to the See also:

• NORTH
• NORTH, BARONS
• NORTH, MARIANNE (1830—1890)
• NORTH, ROGER (1653-1734)
• NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-16o1?)

north of See also:

• GERMANY
• GERMANY (Ger. Deutschland)

Germany, among whose many islands was one, " Codanovia," of pre-eminent See also:

• SIZE

size; this name reappears in Pliny as " Scandinavia." Mela's descriptive method is See also:

• PECULIAR

peculiar and inconvenient . Instead of treating each See also:

• CONTINENT (from Lat. continere, "to hold together "; hence " connected," " continuous ")

continent separately he begins at the Straits of See also:

• GIBRALTAR

Gibraltar, and describes the countries adjoining the south coast of the Mediterranean; then he moves round by See also:

• SYRIA

Syria and Asia See also:

• MINOR
• MINOR (Lat. for smaller, lesser)
• MINOR, ROBERT CRANNELL (1839-1904)

Minor to the See also:

• BLACK
• BLACK, ADAM (1784-1874)
• BLACK, JEREMIAH SULLIVAN (1810–1883)
• BLACK, WILLIAM (1841-1898)

Black Sea, and so returns to Spain along the north See also:

• SHORE

shore of the Euxine, Propontis, &c . After treating the Mediterranean islands, he next takes the ocean littoral—to See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

west, north, See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

east and south successively—from Spain and Gaul round to See also:

• INDIA
• INDIA, FRENCH

India, from India to See also:

• PERSIA

Persia, See also:

• ARABIA

Arabia and See also:

• ETHIOPIA, or AETHIOPIA (Gr. AlOtoaia)

Ethiopia; and so again See also:

• WORKS

works back to Spain round South Africa . Like most classical geographers he conceives the Dark Continent as surrounded by sea and not extending very far south . The first edition of Mela was published at See also:

• MILAN
• MILAN (Ital. Milano, Ger. Mailand, anc. Mediolanum, q.v.)

Milan in 1471; the first See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good edition was by Vadianus (See also:

• BASEL (Fr. Bale)
• BASEL (Fr. Belle, but Basle is a wholly erroneous form; Ital. Basilea)
• BASEL, CONFESSION OF
• BASEL, COUNCIL OF

Basel, 1522), superseded by those of See also:

• VOSS, JOHANN HEINRICH (1751–1826)
• VOSS, RICHARD (1851– )

Voss (1658), J . See also:

• GRONOVIUS (the latinized form of GROrrov), JOHANN FRIEDRICH (1611—1671)

Gronovius (1685 and 1696), A .

Gronovius (1722 and 1728), and Tzschucke (1806-1807), in seven parts (See also:

• LEIPZIG

Leipzig; the most elaborate of all) ; G . Pacthey's (See also:

• BERLIN
• BERLIN, CONGRESS AND TREATY OF
• BERLIN, ISAIAH (1725–1799)

Berlin, 1867), gives the best text . The See also:

• ENGLISH

English trans. by See also:

• ARTHUR (Fr. Arius)
• ARTHUR, CHESTER ALAN (1830 – 1886)

Arthur See also:

• GOLDING, ARTHUR (c. 1536-c. 1605)

Golding (1585), is famous; see also E . H . See also:

• BUNBURY
• BUNBURY, HENRY WILLIAM (1750-1811)

Bunbury, Ancient See also:

• GEOGRAPHY (Gr. yil, earth, and ypiickty, to write)

Geography, ii . 352-368, and D . Detlefsen, Quellen and Forschungen zur See also:

• ALIEN (Lat. alienus)

alien Gesch. and Geog . (1908) . (E . H . B.; C . R .