The science of geography, about which studies are carried out with many different technologies, especially satellites, was not an easy field thousands of years ago. People like Strabo, who is considered to be the first geographer of history, traveled throughout their lives and conducted research on geography. What carries the name of Strabo to this day is his contributions to geography and the works he wrote, even if some of them are lost.
Strabon, who was born in Anatolian lands, traveled every inch of the Roman Empire until the day he died, and made geographical studies. What distinguishes his works from others is that he also examined the nations living in the lands he studied and the relationship of these nations with geography. Some of the things he writes are interesting even to non-experts. Let’s examine in all details the questions that are curious about who Strabo is, what are his contributions to geography and what are his works.
Who is Strabo? A genius born on our land:
Strabo was born on the territory of the Roman Empire, which is today within the borders of Amasya province. It is thought that he was related by blood with Roman aristocrats and was born into a wealthy family. Having a classical Greek education and taking rhetoric lessons from Aristodemus is the biggest proof that he was not an ordinary person.
He is a historian, geographer and philosopher, but since his surviving works are based on geography, it is possible to say that Strabo is the first geographer of history. Strabo, who spent a long time in the capital of the empire, in Greece, Egypt, and Alexandria, had Aristotelian views in his early years, but was influenced by Athenodoros, one of the mentors of the emperor Augustus, and approached the Stoic school views.
Although Strabo was born in Amasya in 64 BC and died in this city in 24 BC, he has not been idle for a moment since his youth and wandered the lands of the Roman Empire. Even a small part of the countless works he wrote is full of historical and geographical details that illuminate his period.
Strabo’s works and importance:
The first work known to have been written by Strabo is Historika Hypomnemata, that is, Historical Memories, consisting of 43 volumes. This work is a continuation of the historiography started by the historian Polybius, who lived between 203 and 120 BC. The work, of which only 19 volumes survive, begins with the destruction of Corinth and Carthage in 146 BC and covers a wide period until the Battle of Actium, where Caesar died.
Undoubtedly, Strabo’s most important work is the Geographumena, a large part of which, fortunately, has survived to the present day. In this 17-volume work, also known as Geographika, Strabo; He was clearly inspired by historians such as Eratosthenes, Hipparchus, Epheros, Polybios, and Poseidonios.
The work named Geographumena is not only a study of geography, but also the history of the peoples living in those geographies is examined and the relationship between geography and civilization is mentioned. Because of these features, it differs from the work called Geographike Aphegesis, which was written by Ptolemy in the following years and has much more detailed geographical information.
What are Strabo’s contributions to geography?
Strabo was born in 64 BC, went to Rome in 44 BC and stayed in this city until 31 BC. He traveled all over Greece in 29 BC, went to Egypt in 28 BC and stayed in Alexandria for a long time. During all these journeys, he also made examinations in the regions he passed through.
In fact, when we look at the dates Strabo lived and studied, it is possible to say that it is more recent than those who did similar studies. Therefore, it may be a little confusing why this name is the first geographer, but think about it like this; Unless geography is studied using a science and scientific methods, ‘A river runs through here.’ It doesn’t mean more than that.
Strabo is the first geographer of history, as he undersigned the first geography studies as we know them today. It is even possible to say that it is the ancestor of social sciences because it examines the relationship of geography with history. In addition to all these, Strabo, as a first in ancient times, examined volcanic movements and explained all these through a cause-effect relationship. In this respect, it is possible to say that he is a geoscientist.
According to Strabo, there was a river full of crocodiles in Kadıköy:
Strabo has two sentences on this subject;
Kalkedon is the old name of the district of Istanbul, which we know as Kadıköy today. Strabo clearly states that there is a crocodile-filled river in Kadıköy. Well where is it? Experts researching these sentences point to Kuşdili Creek, known as Kurbağalıdere.
The bed of Kuşdili Stream, located in the Kadıköy district of Istanbul today, is filled with alluvium. But thousands of years ago, there was a river flowing here. Considering the historical fact that some captives and slaves were sacrificed to crocodiles during the years when the Roman Empire occupied Anatolia, it is highly likely that the river that Strabo pointed to was the Kuşdili Stream, known today as Kurbağalıdere.
In what age did Strabo live, where did he die?
Strabon, who was born in Amasya in 64 BC, returned to the land where he was born after traveling every inch of the Roman Empire and turning his geographical studies into immortal works and died in 24 BC. The age in which Strabo lived; It is the Roman Period in the Iron Age of the First Age, which we accept as ancient history.
Strabo’s words from the Geographumena:
It is necessary to listen to what the ancient historians say. For example, Xanthos, who wrote the “History of Lydia,” describes the strange changes that this country often faced, as I pointed out earlier. Indeed, they considered this place as the place where the legend of the Arims took place and where the Typhōn suffered, and they called it the land of Katakekaumenē. You reach the country called Mysia and Maionia, which is five hundred stadia long and four hundred stadia wide, and called Katakekaumenē. There are no trees here; There are only vineyards where Katakekaumenē wine, which is not inferior to any of the famous wines, is produced.
We talked about the details you need to know by answering questions such as who is Strabo, known as the first geographer of history, his contributions to geography and what are his works. The changes seen in the world we live in even over the course of a few thousand years are astonishing. You can share your thoughts on the subject in the comments.
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