With the rise of the Roman Empire, the political influence
of the Greeks diminished.However, Greece
remained a center of intellectual and literary activity
throughout the era of the Roman Empire. One
of the important Greek writers of this time period
was Strabo, the first great geographer in history.
As with so many other figures in ancient times,
little is known of Strabo’s life. He was born in the
Greek city of Amasia, in today’s northern Turkey.
He received an excellent education and was deeply
influenced by Stoical philosophy.While he traveled
extensively throughout the ancient world, it is believed
that he probably lived in Rome. Despite the
fact that Strabo was a Greek, he was of the opinion
that the Roman Empire was a positive influence
on the world. The order and stability it
provided allowed people like him to pursue intellectual
and literary activities, without being interrupted
by war or politics. This attitude is clearly
expressed in his writings.
Strabo was the author of 47 books known as the
Historical Sketches (compiled in 20 B.C.), a history
of Rome of which only fragments remain. His
greatest work, most of which is extant, is The Geography,
or Geographical Sketches. This work, written
in 17 volumes, was a general survey and
summary of the geographic world familiar to the
Greeks and Romans: Europe, India, Syria, and
Asia, among other countries. Strabo describes the
various mountains, rivers, and regions that had
been explored up to that time. He also discusses
important cities, the cultural tradition of various
tribes and nations, and the art and architecture of
many of the places he visited. The Geography is invaluable
not only for its historical information, but
also for what it reveals about the extent of geographic
knowledge possessed by the ancient
Greeks and Romans.
English Versions of Works by Strabo
The Geography of Strabo. Translated by Horace
Leonard Jones. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press, 1967.
Isaeus. Loeb Classical Library. Translated by Edward
Seymour Forster. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press, 1992.
Works about Strabo
Dueck, Daniela. Strabo of Amasia: A Greek Man of
Letters in Augustan Rome. London: Routledge,
2000.
Syme, Ronald. Anatolica: Studies in Strabo. Edited by
Anthony R. Birley. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1995.