[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review]
This is the first comprehensive collection of texts of ancient Greek geographers (and a few added Latin texts) from Homer’s Catalogue of Ships to late Roman imperial times (6th c. AD) in reliable and fluently readable English translations. These are based on the most authoritative modern editions of each author and work presented. Some texts are offered here for the first time in modern English translations. This splendid collection will surely become an indispensable tool for further research on ancient geography as a science, on specific features of ancient geographical subgenres and on individual authors and works, many of which still remain understudied. The two volumes are divided in five periods ranging from the archaic period to late antique times. Among the 36 texts three come from the archaic period (c. 700–490 BC with a chapter on Homer’s Catalogue of Ships as a ‘prologue’, thus making a total of 37 texts), five from the classical era (c. 500-323 BC), 12 from the Hellenistic period (c. 323–30 BC), 11 are of a Roman (c. 30 BC–AD 300) and five of a late Roman date (c. AD 300–600). This division also tells us something about the flourishing of geographical writing specifically in the Hellenistic and late Roman Republican and early imperial Roman age. Both volumes are richly illustrated by 28 maps as well as many figures, diagrams, and tables which are very helpful for understanding difficult passages in the often only fragmentarily preserved authors and works. Readers who are not yet familiar with ancient Greek geographical writings will also appreciate the useful glossary of ancient Greek technical terms and different units of measure (xxv-xxxi) which are often confusing.
In his preface and the introduction the main editor of the collection D. Graham J. Shipley first succinctly introduces the leading principles and aims of this collection. He also touches on key problems and typical topics of ancient Greek and Roman geography and thus almost provides his readers with a useful brief introduction into the study of ancient Greek geography. Although Roman authors added some specific features, in general the ancient discipline of geography remained from its beginning dominated by Greek scholars and texts. This collection gives full credit to the so-called ‘minor Greek geographers’, which in fact is a misnomer. For ‘minor’ here denominates not so much authors or works of a lower quality, but merely points to “brevity, lack of literary pretension, or fragmentary preservation” (xxi). One may safely agree with Shipley’s observation that the complete body of geographical texts from these minor geographers might teach us equally important lessons on Greek geography as an ancient science and genre of literature than the astonishingly few completely preserved works. In this respect the situation is very similar to the relationship of completely preserved Greek and Latin historical works and the almost 1000 only fragmentarily preserved authors and works in the great collections of Jacoby’s FGrHist I-III, of BNJ (first and now second edition) and FGrHist IV continued. Only a part of the geographical texts collected in Shipley’s new collection have until now also been treated in published entries of FGrHist part V on geography and ethnography. There, however, readers may also easily find critical editions of the original Greek texts (see table I.1 64-65 on geographical authors in the Jacoby ‘family of works’; this list is continuously growing in numbers).
Shipley has contributed more than half of the entries in this collection himself and he has shown a lucky hand in bringing together an international team of highly qualified scholars as collaborators on individual authors. In general, the scholarly quality of each chapter is consistently very high. Several chapters briefly sum up the current state of scholarly research, and in addition bring in fresh ideas and new starting points for further research on ancient authors and works (e.g. in chapters 1, 7, 9, 18, 28, 30, 34 or 36).
Modern prevailing divisions between physical geography and human geography are disputed in themselves, and, more importantly, they do not exactly correspond to ancient divisions between geographia, chorographia, ethnographia and often long excursuses (parekbolai, logoi), or remarks and appendices in all types of prose and poetic genres on geographical topics (2-7). The astonishing wide range of topics and investigative categories includes ‘exploration’ texts, ‘scientific’ texts, ‘descriptive’ texts and ‘didactic’ texts (57-61). Shipley even suggests that the idea of a clearly defined ancient genre or a scholarly subject of geography may be misleading.
Already Herodotus is familiar with the two most influential and long-lasting genres of geographical material, the Periplous– (Paraplous, Anaplous) and Periodos– (Periegesis, Chorographia) works (8-26). Partly due to the recent intense discussion on the Tabula Peutingeriana and its predecessors up to Hellenistic maps such as the one in the famous Artemidoros-papyrus Shipley concludes that in most cases of ancient geographical works “maps were rarely integrated to our texts: the works were independent of any accompanying map” (30, in a section on space and cartography, 30-36).
Extant prose geographers and geography within historical and philosophical prose (36-57) are explicitly not included in this collection. Otherwise, its size would have become too huge. However, there are several recent editions and translations in modern languages of the pertinent authors, for instance, among geographers of Strabo, Mela, Pliny the Elder, Pausanias, Ptolemy and Marinos, and among historical authors of Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybios, Sallust, or Tacitus. Shipley’s register of sources clearly shows how many texts in his collection (roughly two-thirds, 72) have been taken especially from only three sources: Strabo, Pliny and Stephanos of Byzantium. Of course, many decisions as to which texts, for instance, from Strabo one should include in Shipley’s collection must depend on personal choices and general assessments of earlier fragmentarily preserved works. Shipley’s learned overview of less known ancient geographical authors (with a useful timeline of contemporary geographical sources, other sources and events, 86-95) is impressive. He even gives full credit to the only known female geographer from Greek and Roman antiquity, namely Hestiaia of Alexandria (probably the city in Troas, see 56-57 and Strabo’s brief reference in Geographika 13,1,36 C 599).
Restrictions of space preclude me from discussing in due detail all 37 contributions to the two volumes.
But each chapter deserves close study. I merely add some remarks on chapters which were of special interest to me.
Prologue: Shipley, The Homeric Catalogue of Ships (Iliad 2,484-760): One may question the decision to include this famous and often discussed passage from the Iliad in the present collection. However, given the importance of the geographical information included in this catalogue for later ancient geographers and commentators down to Demetrios of Skepsis or to Strabo, and Homer’s later honorary appellation as archegetes tes geographias (Strabo Geographika 8,1,1 C. 332) it can be defended.
No 1 David C. Braund, Aristeas of Prokonnesos and the Arimaspea: In this early epic poem mythical geography mixes with mystical Pythagorean speculation on body and soul and a few rare pieces of reliable information and description of the distant northern regions, which may have come to the author via merchants of the Black Sea area and travelers on the great Russian and Ukrainian rivers who in turn may have met Scythian tribesmen as informants.
No 4 Richard J.A. Talbert and Shipley, Hanno of Carthage, Circumnavigation: Along with Juba II, king of Mauretania, Hanno of Carthage is the only important geographical author included in this collection whose first language was probably not Greek or Latin. He wrote a report on his Periplous or Circumnavigation beyond the Pillars of Herakles and along the African coasts of the Atlantic, of which a 9th c. AD manuscript offers the first remains of a version of this text in Greek translation and with additions by the translator. Even these few remains are highly interesting for early Punic and Greek knowledge on some parts of Africa.
No 5 Shipley, Hippokrates of Kos (?), Airs, Waters and Places: For the decision to include this late 5th c. BC medical treatise in the present collection, Shipley points to the core ‘geographical’ themes discussed in this treatise, e.g. winds, the hydrological situation, influences of climate on settlements and people. This holds true also for some other ancient works Shipley has chosen not to include.
No 8 Shipley, Pytheas of Massalia, On the Ocean / Circuit of the Earth: In my view Pytheas ranks among the most interesting and mysterious ancient Greek explorers and geographical authors. Shipley convincingly dates his travels and the composition of his works Peri Okeanou / Periodos Ges to 330-326 BC. This is a nice example of a very balanced introduction and discussion of the heavily disputed remains of this major geographical work. Shipley discusses the main positions of research on Pytheas with due caution and avoids premature decisions in favor of certain explanations.
No 9 Shipley, Dikaiarchos of Messana, Circuit of the Earth: This productive early Peripatetic philosopher and geographical scholar ranks among the most important late 4th and early 3rd c. B.C. authors who was the first to measure systematically the heights of mountains in Greece and especially on the Peloponnese on which topic he wrote a special treatise. His Periodos ges or Circuit of the Earth was often quoted and discussed by later first rank geographers. Shipley (251) suggests also that Dikaiarchos may have been the first to provide maps with his text. This suggestion remains speculative. For another thorough and reliable discussion of Dikaiarchos’ geographical texts in the context of all testimonies on and fragments of his works see now Gertjan Verhasselt, FGrHist IV B 9, No 1400 (Leiden–Boston 2018), esp. 29-36.
No 16 Shipley, Hipparchos of Nikaia, Against the Geography of Eratosthenes: Hipparchos was well known as an astronomer and a geographer who based his work on mathematical and astronomical foundations. It is an interesting example of the popular genre of an antigraphe or critical, sometimes polemical work directed especially against an earlier authoritative work. Hipparchos also coined the geographical term klima.
No 18 Shipley, Artemidoros of Ephesos, Geographoumena or Things Treated Geographically: This entry presents texts of another major Hellenistic geographer and historian. Artemidoros’ Geographoumena were also a major source for Strabo’s Geographika and an immediate predecessor work of Poseidonios’ treatises. Contrary to Shipley this reviewer still tends to regard the Ionika Hypomnemata as a separate major historical work, while Shipley thinks of a digression or a greater section of the Geographoumena on Ionian topics. Artemidoros was held in very high reputation among his geographical colleagues and successors down to late Roman times and to Markianos of Herakleia ca. 400 AD (below No 34). Shipley’s commentary also briefly addresses the vexed question of the so-called ‘Artemidoros papyrus’ (502-506) and its implications for our understanding of late Hellenistic geography and cartography, if indeed the rudimentary map was planned to accompany and illustrate the passages from Artemidoros’ prooimion and sections on Iberian geography. However, following Shipley (504) “the map cannot conclusively be divorced from Artemidoros’ work, but does not necessarily represent any part of Iberia”.
No 22 Shipley, Juba II of Mauretania, On Assyria, Wanderings of Hanno, Libyka, Arabika and other writings: Juba was a prolific historical and geographical author, a highly reputed scholar of his age, roughly the Augustan period, and ruled as a Mauretanian client king of Rome. He is one of our best examples of a ruling king of the Roman oikoumene who also was active over decades as a scholar. The geographical range of his writings from the north African coast to Egypt down to Arabia and Assyria is as impressive as the scope of his thematic interests.
No 27 Aidan Liddle, Arrian of Nikomedeia, Circumnavigation of the Euxine: This is one of the minor and unjustly underestimated works of the great historian Arrian. He is the writer among those collected in these two volumes, “about whom we hear the most” (Liddle 740). It is a partly military and diplomatic report to the emperor Hadrian as well as a mythological guidebook and traditional circumnavigation with added private correspondence (740-741). This entry combines a good assessment of the mixed genre qualities of this work, a well-balanced introduction and commentaries. Liddle rightly praises the high literary and geographical quality of Arrian’s Periplous.
No 28 Yumna Z.N. Khan, Dionysios Periegetes (Dionysios of Alexandria), Guided Tour of the Inhabited World: This Oikoumenes Periegesis was to become one of the most influential and most read works in late antiquity and later medieval periods. It is an easily memorable didactic poem of 1200 hexameter verses written in a Homeric dialect. Khan even has detected a new 4th c. AD acrostic in lines 681-85 (see 765 and 808). We find an excellent introduction and persuasive notes on the strong influences of Homer, Hesiod and Alexandrian learned poets.
No 34 Shipley, Markianos of Herakleia: To this reviewer, this surely is the most important section of the late antique part of this collection. For Markianos is a “key figure in the transmission of ancient Greek geographical writing” (Shipley 939). We owe a great part of our best pieces of information on ‘minor’ ancient Greek geographers to the scholarly works of this author (c. 390-410 AD). Partly on the basis of earlier work by Menippos of Pergamon, Markianos compiled what we nowadays call the original late antique corpus of ancient geographers. Markianos’ main works include an Epitome of Artemidoros’ Geographoumena, a Circumnavigation (Periplous) of the Outer Sea, an Epitome of Menippos’ Periplous, a preface to Pseudo-Skylax, and a treatise On Distances from Rome. In his well-balanced introduction and his following commentary notes Shipley can rely on his thorough knowledge of earlier ancient Greek geographers. Hence, I do not hesitate to rank this section no 34 among the best of this collection.
The second volume ends with a series of very useful tools which greatly facilitate the practical use of this collection. We find a list of authoritative editions of the sources of translated extracts, a full bibliography of works cited (which is quite up to date, but necessarily must be selective), followed by reliable concordances of extracts by chapter and of extracts by source author and finally a selective Index of personal and place names, work titles and subjects. The two volumes may be strongly recommended as an indispensable tool for further research on ancient Greek geography and on the included authors and works. The collection makes important, but until now less-known texts much more accessible in future also to a non-specialist readership. In addition to presenting this material, the two volumes can also serve as a brief introduction into ancient Greek geography. Despite its high price this collection is also well suited as a textbook for university courses on ancient Greek and Roman geographical concepts and on different parts of the oikoumene.
Authors and Titles
VOLUME I
Introduction: Greek Geography and Geographers, D. Graham J. Shipley
Time-line, D. Graham J. Shipley
Prologue: The Homeric Catalogue of Ships (Iliad, 2. 484–760), D. Graham J. Shipley
Part I: Archaic Period
- Aristeas of Prokonnesos, David C. Braund
- Skylax of Karyanda, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Hekataios of Miletos, D. Graham J. Shipley
II: Classical Period
- Hanno of Carthage, Richard J. A. Talbert and D. Graham J. Shipley
- Hippokrates of Kos (?), Airs, Waters, and Places, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Eudoxos of Knidos, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Pseudo-Skylax, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Pytheas of Massalia, D. Graham J. Shipley
Part III: Hellenistic Period
- Dikaiarchos of Messana, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Timosthenes of Rhodes, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Herakleides Kritikos, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Eratosthenes of Kyrene, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Mnaseas of Patara, Daniela Dueck
- Skymnos of Chios, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Agatharchides of Knidos, On the Erythraian Sea, Stanley M. Burstein
- Hipparchos of Nikaia, D. Graham J. Shipley
- The Nikomedean Periodos [‘Pseudo-Skymnos’], D. Graham J. Shipley
- Artemidoros of Ephesos, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Poseidonios of Apameia, Katherine J. Clarke
- Dionysios son of Kalliphon, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Menippos of Pergamon, J. Brian Campbell
VOLUME II
Part IV: Roman Period
- Juba II of Mauretania, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Isidoros of Charax, Richard J. A. Talbert
- Pseudo-Aristotle, On the Cosmos (De mundo), D. Graham J. Shipley
- Pseudo-Arrian, Circumnavigation of the Erythraian Sea, Colin E. P. Adams
- Pseudo-Plutarch, On the Names of Rivers and Mountains and the Things in Them, J. Brian Campbell
- Arrian of Nikomedeia, Circumnavigation of the Euxine, Aidan Liddle
- Dionysios Periegetes, Yumna Z. N. Khan
- Agathemeros son of Orthon, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Dionysios of Byzantion, Oliver Nicholson and Thomas Russell
- Pseudo-Hippolytos, Stadiasmos (Stade Table or Circumnavigation of the Great Sea), James W. Ermatinger and Robert C. Helmer
Part V: Late Antique Period
- Avienus (Avienius), Ora maritima (The Sea Coast), Ralph Morley
- Expositio totius mundi et gentium (Account of the Whole World and its Peoples) and Iunior Philosophus, Richard J. A. Talbert
- Markianos of Herakleia, D. Graham J. Shipley
- Hypotypōsis tēs geōgraphias en epitomēi (Outline of Geography in Summary), D. Graham J. Shipley
- Pseudo-Arrian, Circumnavigation of the Euxine, D. Graham J. Shipley