Strabo: The First Geographer
As the father of descriptive geography, Strabo of Amasia provides a unique view of the early Roman Empire.
Strabo of Amasia (c.63 BC-AD 24) holds the distinction of having written the first extant descriptive geography in the Western world. We might term him ‘the first geographer’, though in his opinion this term would be much too narrow to encompass his many talents. He saw himself as both a historian and philosopher whose magnum opus, the sprawling 17-book Geography, made sense of both the past and the present. The book, written in Greek, covers the entirety of the known world in the first century AD, describing the land and culture as well as the history of each region. Strabo’s aim in undertaking this monumental task was very clear. At the beginning of his work he claims that his words are essential reading for those interested in ‘political affairs and in matters that concern leaders’, and especially for anyone interested in imperial expansion:
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