Strabo's Cultural Geography
The Making of a Kolossourgia

Wide-ranging 2005 exploration of Strabo's Geography by an international team of scholars.

Daniela Dueck (Edited by), Hugh Lindsay (Edited by), Sarah Pothecary (Edited by)

9780521175104, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 3 March 2011

304 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.41 kg

Strabo of Amasia, a Greek geographer of the Augusto-Tiberian period, observed the Roman world of his time. He collected his observations in his magnum opus, the Geography, which he described as a 'Kolossourgia', a colossal statue of a work. This term reflects not only the work's size in seventeen books, but also its multi-faceted nature, composed of many different elements like the detailing on a statue. In this 2005 volume an international team of Strabo scholars explores those details, discussing the cultural, political, historical and geographical questions addressed in the Geography. The collection offers a number of different approaches to the study of Strabo, from traditional literary and historical perspectives to newer material and feminist readings. These diverse themes and approaches inform each other to provide a wide-ranging exploration of Strabo's work, making the book essential reading for students of ancient history and ancient geography.

Introduction
1. Kolossourgia. 'A colossal statue of a work' Sarah Pothecary
2. Reflections of philosophy: Strabo and geographical sources Christina Horst Roseman
3. Who is a barbarian? The barbarians in the ethnological and cultural taxonomies of Strabo Eran Almagor
4. Gender at the crossroads of empire: locating women in Strabo's Geography Denise Eileen McCoskey
5. Strabo and Homer: a chapter in cultural history Anna Maria Biraschi
6. Strabo's use of poetry Daniela Dueck
7. Strabo's sources in the light of a tale Nikos Litinas
8. The foundation of Greek colonies and their main features in Strabo: a portrayal lacking homogeneity? Francesco Trotta
9. 'Men of high reputation' in Strabo's Geography Johannes Engels
10. Comparing Strabo with Pausanias: Greece in context vs. Greece in depth Maria Pretzler
11. The European provinces: Strabo as evidence Sarah Pothecary
12. Amasya and Strabo's patria in Pontus Hugh Lindsay
13. Cappadocia through Strabo's eyes Silvia Panichi
14. Greek geography and Roman empire: the transformation of tradition in Strabo's Euxine David Braund
15. Josephus' hidden dialogue with Strabo Yuval Shahar
16. Temporal layers within Strabo's description of Coele Syria, Phoenicia and Judaea Ze'ev Safrai.

Subject Areas: Geography [RG], Literary studies: classical, early & medieval [DSBB]