- Strabo
Strabo ["Strabo" ("squinty") was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of
Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo ." A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see things at great distance as if they were nearby was also called "Strabo."] (Greek: Στράβων; 63/64 BC – ca. AD 24) was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.Life
Strabo was born in a wealthy family from
Amaseia inPontus (modernAmasya Turkey), ["Geography" Book XII Chapter 3 Section 15, "Amaseia, my fatherland."] which had recently become part of theRoman Empire . [Pontus fell to the Roman generalPompey in 63 BC and after the murder or suicide ofMithridates VI of Pontus was broken up into smaller provinces in 64 BC. Strabo in Book 12 Chapter 3 Section 41 states that the Romans took possession ofBithynia "a little before my time", setting the date of his birth to after 63 BC.] His mother was Georgian. He studied under various geographers and philosophers; first in Nysa, later inRome . He was philosophically a Stoic and politically a proponent of Romanimperialism . Later he made extensive travels toEgypt andKush , among others. It is not known when his "Geography" was written, though comments within the work itself place the finished version within the reign of EmperorTiberius . Some place its first drafts around AD 7, others around 18. Last dateable mention is given to the death in 23 ofJuba II , king of Maurousia (Mauretania ), who is said to have died "just recently." [Book 17 Chapter 7.] On the presumption that "recently" means within a year, Strabo stopped writing that year or the next (24 AD), perhaps because of his death.Strabo's "History" is nearly completely lost. Although Strabo quotes it himself, and other classical authors mention that it existed, the only surviving document is a fragment of papyrus now in possession of the
University of Milan (renumbered[ Papyrus] 46).Several different dates have been proposed for Strabo's death, but most of them place it shortly after 23.
The "Geography"
Strabo is mostly famous for his 17-volume work "Geographica", which presented a descriptive history of people and places from different regions of the world known to his era. It is an important source of information on the ancient world, especially when information is corroborated by other sources.
Notes and references
Bibliography
* cite book
first=Augustus (Editor)
last=Meineke
authorlink=Augustus Meineke
title=Strabonis Geographica
location=Lipsiae
publisher=B.G. Teubneri
date=MDVVVLXXVII Strabo in Greek, Teubner Edition. Downloadable Google Books at [http://books.google.com/books?id=MvoHAAAAQAAJ&printsec=titlepage&dq=Strabo&as_brr=1#PPP7,M1] .External links
* [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0004%3Aid%3Dstrabo Biography of Strabo]
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Strabo — [strā′bō] 63? B.C. A.D. 21?; Gr. geographer … English World dictionary
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