Geographica

The "Geographica" (Ancient Greek: Γεωγραφικά, "Geōgraphiká"), or Geography, is a 17-volume encyclopedia of geographical knowledge written in Greek by Strabo, an educated citizen of the Roman empire of Greek and Georgian descent. Work can have begun on it no earlier than 20 BC. A first edition was published in 7 BC followed by a gap, resumption of work and a final edition no later than 23 AD in the last year of Strabo's life. Strabo probably worked on his "Geography" and now missing "History" concurrently, as the "Geography" contains a considerable amount of historical data. Except for parts of Book 7, it has come down to us complete.

Name

Strabo refers to his "Geography" within it by several names: [cite book | first=Daniela | last=Dueck | title=Strabo of Amasia: A Greek Man of Letters in Augustan Rome | publisher=Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group | location=London, New York | year=2000 | id=ISBN 0415216729 | pages=page 145]
* geōgraphia, "description of the earth" [Book 3 chapter 1 section 1 1st sentence, page C136.]
* chōrographia, "description of the land"
* periēgēsis, "an outline" [Book 3 chapter 4 section 5 last sentence, page C158.]
* periodos gēs, "circuit of the earth" [Book 6 chapter 1 section 2, page C253.]
* periodeia tēs chōrās, "circuit of the land" [Book 9 chapter 5 section 14, page C435.] Apart from the "outline", two words recur, "earth" and "country." Something of a theorist, Strabo explains what he means by Geography and Chorography: [Book 2 chapter 5 section 17, page C120, Jones translation.]

It is the sea more than anything else that defines the contours of the land ("geōgraphei") and gives it its shape, by forming gulfs, deep seas, straits and likewise isthmuses, peninsulas, and promontories; but both the rivers and the mountains assist the seas herein. It is through such natural features that we gain a clear conception of continents, nations, favourable positions of cities and all the other diversified details with which our geographical map ("chorographikos pinax") is filled.

From this description it is clear that by "geography" Strabo means ancient physical geography and by "chorography", political geography. The two are combined in this work, which makes a "circuit of the earth" detailing the physical and political features. Strabo often uses the adjective "geōgraphika" with reference to the works of others and to geography in general, but not of his own work. In the Middle Ages it became the standard name used of his work.

Date

The date of "Geographica" is a large topic, perhaps because Strabo worked on it along with his "History" for most of his adult life. He traveled extensively, undoubtedly gathering notes, and made extended visits to Rome and Alexandria, where he is sure to have spent time in the famous library taking notes from his sources.

Strabo visited Rome in 44 BC at age 19 or 20 apparently for purposes of education. He studied under various persons, including Tyrannion, a captive educated Greek and private tutor, who instructed Cicero's two sons. Says Sterrett: [Loeb Edition, page xvii.]

Tyrannion was also a distinguished geographer, and he may have guided Strabo into the paths of geographical study.

If one presumes that Strabo acquired the motivation for writing geography during his education, the latter must have been complete by the time of his next visit to Rome in 35 BC at 29 years old. He may have been gathering notes but the earliest indication that he must have been preparing them is his extended visit to Alexandria 25-20 BC. In 20 he was 44 years old. His "numerous excerpts" from "the works of his predecessors" are most likely to have been noted at the library there. [Sterrett, Loeb Edition, pages xxii-xxiii.] Whether these hypothetical notes first found their way into his "history" and then into his "geography" or were simply ported along as notes remains unknown.Most of the events of the life of Augustus mentioned by Strabo occurred 31-7 BC with a gap 6 BC - 14 AD, which can be interpreted as an interval after first publication in 7 BC. [Sterrett, Loeb Edition, page xxvii.] Then in 19 AD a specific reference dates a passage: he said that the Carni and Norici had been at peace since they were "stopped ... from their riotous incursions ...." by Drusus 33 years ago, which was 15 BC, dating the passage 19 AD. [Dueck page 146 on Strabo Book 4, Chapter 6, Book 9, page C206.] The latest event mentioned is the death of Juba at no later than 23 AD, when Strabo was in his 80's. These events can be interpreted as a second edition unless he saved all his notes and wrote the book entirely after the age of 80.

Composition

Strabo is his own best expounder of his principles of composition: [Book I sections 22-23.]

In short, this book of mine should be ... useful alike to the statesman and to the public at large - as was my work on "History". ... And so, after I had written my "Historical Sketches" ... I determined to write the present treatise also; for this work is based on the same plan, and is addressed to the same class of readers, and particularly to men of exalted stations in life. ... in this work also I must leave untouched what is petty and inconspicuous, and devote my attention to what is noble and great, and to what contains the practically useful, or memorable, or entertaining. ... For it, too, is a colossal work, in that it deals with the facts about large things only, and wholes ....

ubject matter

An outline of the encyclopedia follows, with links to the appropriate Wikipedia article.

Book 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Book 3

Book 4

Book 5

Book 6

Book 7

Chapter 1

Chapter 4

Chapter 7

Chapter 3

Publications

Some thirty manuscripts of "Geographika" or parts of it have survived, almost all of them medieval copies of copies, though there are fragments from papyrus rolls which were probably copied out ca AD 100‑300. Scholars have struggled for a century and a half to produce an accurate edition close to what Strabo wrote. A definitive one has been in publication since 2002, appearing at a rate of about a volume a year.

Notes

Bibliography

Editions

*Kramer, Gustav, ed., "Strabonis Geographica", 3 vols, containing Books 1-17. Berlin: Friedericus Nicolaus, 1844-52.
* Contains Books 1-17, Greek on the left page, English on the right. Sterrett translated Books I and II and wrote the introduction before dying in 1915. Jones changed Sterrett's style from free to more literal and finished the translation. The "Introduction" contains a major bibliography on all aspects of Strabo and a definitive presentation of the manuscripts and editions up until 1917.

ee also

*Bibliotheca historica
*Diodorus Siculus

External links

The text of Strabo online

* English text.
* English text.
* English text.
* The Greek and Greek transliterated texts.

econdary material

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