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See also:STRABO (See also:born c. 63 n.c.)
, See also:Greek geographer and historian, was See also:born at See also:Amasia in See also:Pontus, a See also:city which had been much Hellenized, and was the royal See also:residence of the See also:kings of Pontus
.
We know nothing of his See also:father's See also:family, but several of his See also:mother's relatives held important posts under See also:Mithradates V. and VI
.
Some were of Hellenic, others of See also:Asiatic origin, but See also:Strabo himself was by See also:language and See also:education thoroughly Greek
.
The date of his See also:birth cannot be exactly determined, but from various
indications in his See also:work it seems to have been about 63 E.C
.
He studied at Nysa under the grammarian See also:Aristodemus, under Tyrannio the grammarian at See also:Rome, under the philosopher Xenarchus either at Rome or at See also:Alexandria, and he had studied See also:Aristotle along with See also:Boethus (possibly at Rome under Tyrannio, who had See also:access to the Aristotelian writings in See also:Sulla's library)
.
He states that he saw P
.
Servilius Isauricus, who died at Rome in advanced years in 44 B.C., from which it has been inferred that he visited Rome See also:early in See also:life
.
He also tells us that he was at Gyaros (one of the See also:Cyclades) when See also:Augustus was at See also:Corinth on his return to Rome from the See also:East in 29 E.c., and that he accompanied the See also:prefect of See also:Egypt, Aelius See also:Gallus, on his expedition"to Upper Egypt, which seems to have taken See also:place in 25–24 B.C
.
These are the only See also:dates in his life which can be accurately fixed
.
The latest event mentioned in his work is the See also:death of See also:Juba, See also:
As he states himself: " Westward I have journeyed to the parts of See also:Etruria opposite See also:Sardinia; towards the See also:south from the Euxine to the See also:borders of See also:Ethiopia; and perhaps not one of those who have written geographies has visited more places than I have between those limits." He tells us that he had seen Egypt as far south as Syene and See also:Philae, See also:Comana in See also:Cappadocia, See also:Ephesus, Mylasa, Nysa and See also:Hierapolis in See also:Phrygia, Gyarus and Populonia
.
Of See also:Greece proper he saw but little; it is by no means certain that he even visited See also:Athens, and though he describes Corinth as an See also:eye-See also:witness, it is clear that he was never at See also:Delphi, and was not aware that the ruins of See also:Mycenae still existed
.
He had seen See also:Cyrene from the See also:sea, probably on his voyage from See also:Puteoli to Alexandria, where he remained a See also:long See also:time, probably amassing materials, and studying See also:astronomy and See also:mathematics
.
For nowhere could he have had a better means of consulting the See also:works of historians, geographers and astronomers, such as Eratosthenes, See also:Posidonius, See also:Hipparchus and See also:Apollodorus
.
We cannot tell where his See also:Geography was written, but it was at least finally revised between A.U
.
17 and 23, since we have See also:historical allusions which can be dated to that time
.
Probably Strabo was then in Rome; the fact that his work passed unnoticed by See also:Roman writers such as the See also:elder See also:Pliny does not prove the contrary
.
Works.—His earliest See also:writing was an historical work now lost, which he himself describes as his Historical See also:Memoirs: He tells us (xi
.
9, 3) that the See also:sixth See also:book of the Memoirs was identical with the second of the Continuation of See also:Polybius; probably, therefore, books i.-iv. formed an introduction to the See also:main work
.
This accounts for the fact that he speaks (ii
.
70) of having treated of the exploits of See also: See also:Plutarch, who calls him " the Philosopher," quotes Strabo's Memoirs (Luc . 28), and cites him as an historian (Sulla, 26). See also:josephus, who constantly calls him " the Cappadocian," often quotes from him, but does not mention the See also:title of the work . The Geography is the most important work on that See also:science which antiquity has See also:left us . It was, as far as we know, the first See also:attempt to collect all the See also:geographical knowledge at the time attainable, and to compose a See also:general See also:treatise on geography . It is not merely a new edition of Eratosthenes . In general outline it follows necessarily the work of the last-named geographer, who had first laid down a scientific basis for geography . Strabo made considerable alterations, but not always for the better . The three books of the older work formed a strictly technical geographical treatise . Its small See also:size prevented it from containing any such general description of See also:separate countries as Strabo rightly conceived to fall within the See also:scope of the geographer . " Strabo indeed appears to See also:bee the first who conceived a See also:complete geographical treatise as comprisin the four divisions of mathematical, See also:physical, See also:political and historical geography, and he endeavoured, however imperfectly, to keep all these See also:objects in view." The incidental historical notices, which are often of See also:great value and See also:interest, are all his own . These digressions at times interrupt the symmetry of his See also:plan; but Strabo had all the Greek love of legendary See also:lore, and he discusses the journeyings of' Heracles as earnestly as if they were events within See also:recent See also:history . He regarded See also:Homer as the source of all See also:wisdom and knowledgeindeed, his description of Greece is largely See also:drawn from Apollodorus's commentary on the Homeric " See also:Catalogue of See also:Ships "—and treated See also:Herodotus with undeserved contempt. classing him with See also:Ctesias and other " marvel-mongers." Yet in some respects Herodotus had better See also:information (e.g. in regard to the See also:Caspian) than Strabo him-self . Again, Strabo may be censured for discarding the statements of See also:Pytheas resPecting the See also:west and See also:north of See also:Europe, accepted as they had been by Eratosthenes . But in this he relied on Polybius, whom he might justly consider as having from his position at Rome far better means of gaining accurate information . It must be admitted that the statements of Pytheas did not See also:accord with the theory of Strabo just in those very points where he was at variance with Eratosthenes . He showed likewise an unwarranted See also:scepticism in reference to the See also:island of Cerne on the west See also:coast of See also:Africa, which without doubt the Carthaginians had long used as an See also:emporium . Strabo chiefly employed Greek authorities (the Alexandrian geographers Polybius, Posidonius and See also:Theophanes of Mytilene, the See also:companion of See also:Pompey) and made comparatively little use of Roman authorities . Although he refers to See also:Caesar's Commentaries once by name, and evidently made use of them in other passages, he but imperfectly availed himself of that work . He designed his geography as a sequel to his historical writings, and it had as it were grown out of his historical materials, which were chiefly Greek . Moreover Strabo probably amassed his material in the library of Alexandria, so that Greek authorities would naturally furnish the great bulk of his collections . Doubtless, however, he returned to Rome after a long sojourn in Alexandria, a fact which explains the defectiveness of his information about the countries, to the east of his native See also:land, and renders it possible for him to have made use of the " choregraphy " of See also:Agrippa, a See also:map of the Roman See also:Empire and adjacent countries set up by See also:order of Augustus in'the Porticus Vipsaniae . He designed the work for the statesman rather than for the student . He therefore endeavours to give a general See also:sketch of the See also:character, physical peculiarities and natural productions of each See also:country, and consequently gives us much valuable information respecting See also:ethnology, See also:trade and metallurgy . It was almost necessary that he should select what he thought most important for description, and at times omit what we deem of more importance . With respect to physical geography; his work is a great advance on all preceding ones . Judged by See also:modern See also:standards, his description of the direction of See also:rivers and See also:mountain-chains seems defective, but See also:allowance must be made for difficulties in procuring information, and for want of accurate See also:instruments . In respect of mathematical geography, his lack of scientific training was no great hindrance . He had before him the results of Eratosthenes, Hipparchus and Posidonius . The See also:chief conclusions of astronomers concerning the spherical figure and dimensions of the See also:earth, its relation to the heavenly bodies, and the great circles of the globe—the See also:equator, the See also:ecliptic and the tropics—were considered as well established . He accepted also the See also:division into five zones; he quotes approvingly the assertion of Hipparchus that it was impossible to make real advances in geography without astronomical observations for determining latitudes and longitudes . The work consists of seventeen books, of which the seventh is imperfect . The first two are See also:introductory, the next eight See also:deal with Europe (two being devoted to See also:Spain and See also:Gaul, two to See also:Italy and See also:Sicily, one to the north and east of Europe, and three to Greek lands): The See also:eleventh book treats of the main divisions of See also:Asia and the more easterly districts, the next three of Asia See also:Minor . Book xv. deals with See also:India and See also:Persia, book xv with See also:Assyria, Babylonia, See also:Syria and See also:Arabia, and the closing book with Egypt and Africa . See also:Editions.—The Aldine (See also:Venice, 1516) was unfortunately based on a very corrupt MS . The first substantial, improvements in the See also:text were due to See also:Casaubon (See also:Geneva, 1587; See also:Paris, 162o), whose text remained the basis of subsequent editions till that of Comes (Paris, 1815-1819), who removed many corruptions . The See also:MSS. were first scientifically collated by Kramer (See also:Berlin, 1844-1852), who demonstrated that See also:Par .
1397 was the best authority for the first nine books (it contains no more) and Vat
.
1329 for the See also:remainder
.
Of later editions the most important are those of C
.
See also: See also:Bunbury's History of See also:Ancient Geography, vol. ii. chs . 21, 22 ; and F . See also:Dubois's Examen de la geographie de Strabon (Paris, 1891) should also be consulted . (H . S . |
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