Serena Bianchetti

Brill's Companion to Ancient Geography edited by S. Bianchetti, M. R. Cataudella, H. J. Gehrke is the first collection of studies on historical geography of the ancient world that focuses on a selection of topics considered crucial for understanding the development of geographical thought. In this work, scholars, all of whom are specialists in a variety of fields, examine the interaction of humans with their environment and try to reconstruct the representations of the inhabited world in the works of ancient historians, scientists, and cartographers. Topics include: Eudoxus, Dicaearchus, Eratosthenes, Hipparchus, Agatharchides, Agrippa, Strabo, Pliny and Solinus, Ptolemy, and the Peutinger Map. Other issues are also discussed such as onomastics, the boundaries of states, Pythagorism, sacred itineraries, measurement systems, and the Holy Land.

The Natural History text contains many references to the scientist geographers such as Eudoxus, Pytheas and Eratosthenes. My analysis herein shows that the quotations of Pliny, in particular, point to the strong continuity of Eratosthenes and his conception of the world with that of the Romans under the Flavians. Hence, Pliny’s description seems to come from a synthesis of both an astronomical-climatic conception (of Eratosthenes origin and Posidonius’ elaboration) as well as an astrological-climatic one (which refers to Nigidius Figulus).  Then, among Latin sources, Varro seems to have played an important role in the transmission of Greek science and in the creation of a Latin astronomical lexicon, as witnessed by the work of Pliny.

RIASSUNTO: La concezione geografica dell'estremo Occidente e la rappresentazione cartografica di questa area variano in relazione alla storia politica dei Greci e dei Romani che occuparono le aree mediterranee della Spagna e quelle atlantiche: i racconti dei navigatori confluiti nelle ricostruzioni degli storici aiutano solo in parte a ricostru-ire le effettive conoscenze dei luoghi perché Ecateo, Erodoto e lo stesso Polibio «piegano» i dati in funzione della loro idea dell'ecumene. Solo la ricerca scientifica di Eudosso, Pitea, Eratostene e Tolemeo cerca di spiegare il mondo con le leggi della ge-ometria e disegna l'ecumene mediante una griglia di coordinate astronomiche. La ricerca di Eratostene e in parti-colare quella sulle aree estreme dell'Occidente e del Nord costituisce il contributo più innovativo e più criticato da parte dei successori: Polibio e Artemidoro, seguiti in parte da Strabone, combattono l'idea eratostenica del mondo e contribuiscono alla sfortuna della geografia scientifica. Sarà Tolemeo a riprendere la concezione matematica di Eratostene: l'analisi dei passi della ABSTRACT: The geographical concept of the Far West and its mapping vary in accordance with the political history of Ancient Greeks and Romans, who occupied the Spanish Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. Historians' views based upon sailors' accounts only partly contribute to the mapping of this area of the oikoumene. Hekataios, Herodotos, and Polybios intended to 'spin' information according to their idea of the inhabited world. Only in the scientific research carried out by Eudoxos, Pytheas, Eratosthenes and Ptolemaios is geometry used to describe the world. The oikoumene is represented as an astronomical coordinate system. Eratosthenes' studies –in particular the one focussing on the extreme Northwest– are highly innovative and, as such, highly criticized by his successors. Polybius, Artemidoros and partly Strabo slashed Eratosthenes' idea of the world, thus leading to the decline of scientific geography. Only Ptolemaios decided to retrieve Eratosthenes' mathematical concepts; analysis of passages of Geography and comparisons with Markianos contribute to a deeper understanding of the link between Ptolemaios and scientific geographers, of whom he is the last representative (in particular, with regards to the mapping of the Northwest).