Geography in Classical Antiquity

Description

What were the limits of knowledge of the physical world in Greek and Roman antiquity? How far did travellers get and what did they know about far-away regions? How did they describe foreign countries and peoples? How did they measure the earth, and distances and heights on it? Ideas about the physical and cultural world are a key aspect of ancient history, but until now there has been no up-to-date modern overview of the subject. This book explores the beginnings and development of geographical ideas in Classical antiquity and demonstrates technical methods for describing landscape, topographies and ethnographies. The survey relies on a variety of sources: philosophical and scientific texts but also poems and travelogues; papyrological remains and visual monuments.

Daniela Dueck is a senior lecturer in the Department of History at Bar Ilan University. Kai Brodersen is President of the University of Erfurt and holds the Chair of Ancient Culture.

'It is a demanding challenge to digest and synthesize the multiple developments, controversies, and discoveries, especially when all is still far from said and done. Daniela Dueck merits our gratitude, therefore, for rising to the task and ... for crafting such a valuable, wide-ranging overview.' Richard J. A. Talbert, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 'This concise and clearly organized volume is a suitable introduction to this fascinating topic for the educated layperson, or a handy text around which to build an undergraduate course. Dueck's argument is well grounded in primary evidence and she provides generous excerpts of pertinent and interesting texts throughout.' Georgia L. Irby, Ancient History Bulletin Online Reviews