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 trabon, known in English as Strabo of Amasia / Amaseia
(now
Amasya in Turkey) was born c. 62 B.C. and died c. 24
A.D. He was a Greek geographer, one of the most important sources for ancient topography
and history. Strabo was a native of Amasia, in Pontus,
probably a Greek by birth. His mother's family had been
important during the reign of king
Mithridates VI
of Pontus, but during the war against the Roman general Pompey, it had
switched sides. This loyalty provided Strabo with connections in the Roman
world.
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geographer born in Amasia |
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He travelled young and had the best education of his time, visited Greece in 29 B.C., and then spent some years in Rome. In 24 B.C. he travelled in Egypt, and went up the Nile. He travelled in Greece, central Italy, the coast of Africa, and in Asia Minor. But he soon afterwards withdrew to his native town in Pontus, which is now Rumili, and there compiled, almost entirely from Greek sources, his great work on Geography. It remained unknown for a century, and is not mentioned by Pliny. It was not until the third century that the importance of his labours was duly recognized. The seventeen books of his Geography are partially based upon autopsy (Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, Egypt), and partially on good sources like Polybius of Megalopolis and Megasthenes (who had visited India). The books are written in a simple Greek, but are more entertaining than other ancient works of geography. A translation can be found here. |
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Strabo's GeographiaBooks 6-14 of the Geographia by the Greek philosopher Strabo are online at Perseus, in both the original Greek and an English translation. Bill Thayer of LacusCurtius, states that he will make the entire work available (English translation only), and he has started with Books 1-5 and 15-17 from which the following selections were taken. Book 1 Book 4
Book 5
Sources:
See also: |
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