Strabo the Geographer

Strabo was writing some two thousand years ago in the early days of the Roman Empire. In his Geography, he provides us with a fascinating verbal description of the ‘Inhabited World’, as envisaged at that time. Writing in Greek, covering a world dominated by Rome, Strabo is of interest to students of classical literature and to historians of Rome and its regions, in particular for his description of the geo-political landscape under the first two Roman emperors, Augustus and Tiberius.

For the beginner: Getting started with Strabo

Resources: Strabo: Recent scholarship ~ Editions of Strabo’s Geography ~ Electronic texts of Strabo’s Geography ~ Texts of individual books of Strabo’s Geography and commentaries on specific regions ~ Translations of Strabo’s Geography ~ Strabo’s lost History ~ Papyri of Strabo’s Geography (and History?)

More controversial topics: When was the Geography written?

Strabo: Bibliography (since 1995) ~ Strabo: Bibliography (before 1995)

The image shown above is a representation of the northern hemisphere according to Strabo, drawn by P.F.J. Gossellin to accompany the French translation of Strabo’s Geography by Laporte du Theil, Korais and Letronne, which was undertaken between 1805-1819, at the request of the emperor Napoleon.

© 2005 Sarah Pothecary

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