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What information did Strabo include in his Geography?
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geography
Camel near the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt.
Strabo’s Geography is a monumental work that serves as the only extant account covering the range of peoples and countries known to the Greeks and Romans during the reign of Augustus. Rather than focusing on mathematical geography, Strabo designed his work for statesmen, prioritizing descriptive content over complex projections.1
His work includes:
- Methodological Critique: The first two books define his geographical aims by critiquing predecessors like Eratosthenes and Hipparchus, favoring a descriptive approach.1
- Regional Descriptions: He provides detailed accounts of the known world, including Iberia, Gaul, Italy, the Danube basin, Greece, Asia Minor, India, Persia, and North Africa.1
- Practical Data: He recorded distances between cities, national frontiers, agricultural and industrial activities, political statutes, and ethnographic or religious customs.1
- Historical and Scientific Context: He included the histories of cities, myths, and legends, alongside observations of unusual geological phenomena, such as volcanic landscapes and the Nile floods.1
- Homeric Analysis: A significant portion, particularly regarding Greece, is dedicated to identifying localities mentioned in the Iliad, reflecting his belief in Homer’s geographical expertise.1