Strabos historical work is lost, but his most important geography in seventeen books has survived. They sail by this canal to schedia, to the great river, and to canobus, but the first place at which they arrive is eleusis. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Editions of the geography are often decades in the making. Libri sibyllini were a collection of oracular utterances, set out in greek hexameters, that according to tradition were purchased from a sibyl by the last king of rome, tarquinius superbus, and were consulted at momentous crises through the history of the republic and the empire. The list below spells out the contents of each edition on a per volume basis. Geography, strabo, book xvi, chapter 1, section 24. Polemon pythodoros, also known as polemon i or polemon i of pontus greek. How did strabo contribute to the study of geography. The roman empire radically affected geographical conceptions, evoking new ways of describing the earth and of constructing its history.
Loeb classical library wikisource, the free online library. Indica is an account of mauryan india by the greek writer megasthenes. Among the interesting early accounts of india is one by the greek geographer strabo, who wrote in the first century before the christian era. Strabo geography geography volume vii by strabo 1930, hardcover at the best online prices at. Geti at the lower ister1 romanian history and culture. The geography of strabo 1917, harvard university press, w. After two introductory books, numbers 3 and 4 deal with spain and gaul, 5 and 6 with italy and sicily, 7 with north and east europe, 810 with greek lands, 1114 with the main regions of asia and with asia minor, 15 with india and iran, 16. Ancient geography, early works to 1800, geography, greek language materials. Aug 09, 2016 the land of epirus comprised of three main tribes mollosus, chaons and thesprots. Kurds and kurdistan permanent dead link, see section iii history, subsection a origins and preislamic history, encyclopaedia of islam.
Hercules in the garden of hesperides valeria espinosa. Here, strabo states that the most acceptable view about the origin of the jews is that which regards them as. We can do no more than date this work before the geography. By purchasing books through this website, you support our nonprofit organization.
The project gutenberg ebook of the geography of strabo vol. In the north, it controlled bosra in syria, and even, though briefly, damascus. The third portion is continuous with the abovemention ed isthmus, and consists of the country following next in order to the isthmus and the caspian gates, 16 and approaching nearest the parts within the taurus, and to europe. After two introductory books, numbers 3 and 4 deal with spain and gaul, 5 and 6 with italy and sicily, 7 with north and east europe, 810 with greek lands, 1114 with the main regions of asia and with asia minor, 15 with india and iran, 16 with assyria, babylonia, syria, and arabia, 17 with egypt and africa.
The geography of strabo, books 15 translated by hamilton and falconer, text taken from the bell edition of 1903, now in the public domain, and books 614 translated by horace leonard jones, the geography of strabo harvardheinemann 1924 digitized by the perseus project, licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. A stadia is said to be 7,290 inches18,662 cm or 607. A historical and topographical guide to the geography of strabo by duane w. Some place its first drafts around 7 bc, others around ad 17 or 18. The celtiberians were the most influential ethnic group in iberia when the mediterranean powers carthage and rome started their conquests. He began geography in 3025 bc and probably revised it in his old age around 1518 ad. The original book is now lost, but its fragments have survived in later greek and latin works.
This is a selective summary of translations of strabos work from ancient greek into modern languages. Only fragments have survived, the rest being lost or deliberately destroyed. The loeb classical library is a series of books, today published by harvard university press, which presents important works of ancient greek and latin literature in a way designed to make the text accessible to the broadest possible audience, by presenting the original greek or latin text on each lefthand leaf, and a fairly literal translation on the facing page. And so, too, the utility of geography and its utility is manifold, not only as regards the activities of statesmen and commanders but also as regards knowledge both of the heavens and of things on land and sea, animals, plants, fruits, and everything else to be seen in various regions the utility of geography, i say, presupposes in the. Chapter 1 account of india by the greek writer strabo first century b. Strabo s other great work, his geographica in 17 books, has survived in its entirety. To the south, hegra madain salih was within the nabataean frontiers, just like the nearby oasis of alula, and the port of leuke kome. Pliny the elder thought that the original home of the celts in iberia was the territory of the celtici in the southwest, on the grounds of an identity of sacred rites, language, and the names of cities. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Print and online editions of the greek text of strabos geography. They attacked those who were assembled to celebrate some quinquennial festival, and put them to death. Full text of strabo, geography, books 117 in 8 volumes loeb classical library. Strabo was born to an affluent family from amaseia in pontus in presentday turkey in around 64 bc.
Strabo, who visited egypt during his lifetime, understood the geography of that area quite well and wrote about it in detail. Texts of individual books of strabo s geography and commentaries on specific regions. The roman writer strabo wrote what is often considered as the first attempt to synthesise a universal geography. Polemon was the son and heir of zenon and possibly tryphaena. Formerly the territory they possessed was more extensive, although even now the barbarians possess a large part of the country, which, without dispute, is greece.
The present translation of strabo, the great geographer of antiquity, is the first which has been laid before the english public. Besides this, rivers, being a kind of physical boundaries of the size and figures of countries, are of the greatest use in every part of the present work. And ptolemaeus, the son of lagus, says that on this expedition the celti who lived about the adriatic joined alexander for the sake of establishing friendship and hospitality, and that the king received them kindly and asked them when drinking what it was that they most feared, thinking they would say himself, but that they. Within the pillars are the gymnesian is lands, 5 the other little islands of the phrenicians, 6 the mar seillais, and the ligurians. Strabo just saw the celtiberians as a branch of the celti. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages. Strabo states the width of persia 4,400 stadia or about 800 km and its length towards the caspian to be 8,000 stadia or about 1,500 km. And now i shall unhesitatingly use those decisions as accepted, and shall also add something else for the purpose of clearness seems to require it, it was particularly apparent from my former discussion that the summary account set forth in the third book of his geography by eratosthenes of what was in his time regarded as india, that is, when. The fifth book contains a description of italy from the roots of the alps to the strait of sicily, the gulf of taranto, and the region about posidonium. This book explores the writings of three literary figures of the agepolybius, posidonius, and straboand how they used and transformed preexisting. Geographica strabo strabo is mostly famous for his 17volume work geographica, which presented a descriptive history of people and places from different regions of the world known to his era. In albanian books we have learned that these tribes were illyrian, greek books state the. Geography, volume viii strabo harvard university press.
For ebooks, where available, click on the volume number. Strabo was born, from a rich family, in amaseia currentday amasya in pontus, which became part of the roman empire just around his birth. The rest of the 15 books are a heavily romancentric description of the known world. This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. Each entry starts with the number of books of the geography translated, as translators sometimes stall out before completing all seventeen books. Chapter 1 account of india by the greek writer strabo. Full text of strabo, geography, books 117 in 8 volumes loeb classical library see other formats. Strabo is mostly famous for his geographia, a 17 book work containing history and descriptions of people and places all over the known world. This can be confusing for the newcomer to strabo, especially since the entries in library catalogues are often garbled. After two introductory books, numbers 3 and 4 deal with spain and gaul, 5 and 6 with italy and sicily, 7 with north and east europe, 8 10 with greek lands, 11 14 with the main regions of asia and with asia minor, 15 with india and iran, 16 with assyria, babylonia, syria, and arabia, 17 with egypt and africa. See how instrumental churches appeal to the paganism defined by strabo as authority for instrumental music in the christian system.
We must describe these rivers in detail, with the particulars, which are useful for the purposes of geography, and which have been handed down to us by historians. Geographika, or geography, is an encyclopedia of geographical knowledge, consisting of 17 books, written in greek by strabo, an educated citizen of the roman empire of greek descent. In it dicaearchus endeavoured to prove that the soul was mortal. The earliest of these works are those by diodorus siculus, strabo geographica, pliny, and arrian. Arabia commences on the side of babylonia with maecene modern kuwait. The parts still left of asia are those outside the taurus except cilicia and pamphylia and lycia, i mean the parts extending from india as far as the nile and lying between the taurus and the outer sea on the south. The first two books deal with the principals of geography. Strabo on iberia geography s book iii strabo s geography.
Having attacked them as they were departing through the country of the sabini, they took from them, much against their will, the ransom which the romans had willingly paid to them. Elsewhere in his writings, strabo delineates the eastern border of arabia as the persian gulf geography 16. Several other family members, including his paternal grandfather had served mithridates vi during the mithridatic wars. On the operations of nature, that all things converge to a point, namely, the centre of the whole, and assume a spherical shape around it. Full text of the geography of strabo internet archive. Based in part upon the unfinished version of john robert sitlington sterrett. Strabo was related to dorylaeus on his mothers side. Print and online editions of the greek text of strabos. The geography of strabo with an english translation by horace leonard jones. He became a keen traveller who saw a large part of italy, various near eastern regions including the black sea, various parts of asia minor, egypt as far as ethiopia, and parts of greece. At present we shall make a few remarks on the operations of nature and of providence conjointly. It is not known precisely when strabo s geography was written, though comments within the work itself place the finished version within the reign of emperor tiberius.
Strabo s historical work is lost, but his most important geography in seventeen books has survived. View this item and discover similar for sale at according to the sicilian greek poet stesichorus, in his poem the song of geryon, and the greek geographer strabo, in his book geographika volume iii, the garden of the hesperides is located in tartessos, a location placed in the south of the iberian peninsula. An english translation, with introduction and notes. Email your librarian or administrator to recommend adding this book to your organisations collection. There remains of iberia the seaboard of our sea from the pillars to the pyrenees mountains, and also the whole of the interior above it, which is unequal in breadth but slightly more than four thousand stadia in length, though the length of the seaboard has been given as still greater than that by as much as two thousand stadia. Lesbian books in three books, which derived its name from the fact that the scene of the philosophical dialogue was laid at mytilene in lesbos. Cicero when speaking of a work on the soul, probably means this work.
In front of this district, on one side lies the desert of the arabians, on the other are the marshes opposite to the chaldeans, formed by the overflowing of the euphrates, and in another direction is the sea of persia. For by their modes of life they became inclined to attack and to rob, venturing only upon petty undertakings, and never throwing themselves into large ones, because they would not establish large forces and confederations. He wrote in greek, and was born to a wealthy family from amaseia in pontus modern amasya turkey, which had recently become part of the roman empire. Full text of strabo, geography, books 117 in 8 volumes. His family had been involved in politics since at least the reign of mithridates v. I began my description by going over all the western parts of europe comprised between the inner and the outer sea. It was particularly apparent from my former discussion that the summary account set forth in the third book of his geography by eratosthenes of what was in his time regarded as india, that is, when alexander invaded the country, is the most trustworthy. The earliest of these works are those by diodorus siculus, strabo geographica, pliny, and arrian indica. We have treated these subjects at length in the first book of the geography. Geography is a vital source for ancient geography and informative about ancient geographers. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. For e books, where available, click on the volume number. The getae did not sustain even the first charge of the cavalry.
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