Between Geography and History: Hellenistic Constructions of the Roman World (Oxford Classical Monographs)

The Roman empire radically affected geographical conceptions, evoking new ways of describing the earth and of constructing its history. This book explores the writings of three literary figures of the age—Polybius, Posidonius, and Strabo—and how they used and transformed pre-existing Greek traditions in order to describe the new world of Rome. Clarendon Press Between Geography and History: Hellenistic Constructions of the Roman World 4 Preface 8 Contents 10 List of abbreviations 11 I. Geographical and Historiographical Traditions 14 IDENTIFYING THE ISSUE 14 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF TWO DISCIPLINES 17 ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE: GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, AND FOCALIZATION 35 UNITY, DISJUNCTION, AND MODELS OF UNIVERSALISM 52 GEOGRAPHICAL HISTORIANS: FROM GRUNDY TO THE ANNALES 58 THE DEBT TO HERODOTUS; THE CONSEQUENCES OF CONQUEST 79 II. Polybius and the 'Geographical' History 90 INTRODUCTION 90 GEOGRAPHY AS ACOMPONENT (μέρος) OF HISTORY 92 GEOGRAPHY IN THE HISTORY 94 POLYBIUS' CONCEPTIONS OF SPACE 110 'PIECEMEAL' (κατὰ μέρος) AND 'AS-A-WHOLE' (καθόλου): POLYBIUS' UNIVERSALISM 127 III. Posidonius: Geography, History, and Stoicism 142 INTRODUCTION 142 THE PROBLEM OF FRAGMENTARY TEXTS 143 ON OCEAN 152 THE HISTORIES 167 LOCATING UNPLACED FRAGMENTS 184 STOIC 'SYMPATHY' (συμπάθεια): POSIDONIUS' UNIVERSALISM 198 IV. Strabo and Space 206 INTRODUCTION 206 STRABO AND THE GEOGRAPHICAL TRADITION: SPATIAL SYSTEMS 210 STRABO'S CIRCULAR MODEL: A WORLD BUILT AROUND ROME? 223 STRABO OF AMASEIA 241 V. Strabo and Time 258 THE PROBLEM OF TIME: A CHANGING WORLD 258 TEMPORAL SYSTEMS: ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE 265 THE PAST IN THE GEOGRAPHY 273 Textual time: Strabo and the tradition 273 The birth and death of cities: πόλις-history 277 The alternative: non-πόλις history 289 THE PRESENT IN THE GEOGRAPHY 294 VI. Strabo's Universalism: Geography, History, Rewriting the Roman World 307 UNITING TIME AND SPACE 307 Geography and history: mutual influences 307 Temporal and regional variations: juggling time and space 312 STRABO'S UNIVERSALISM 320 THE NATURE OF STRABO'S γεωγραφία ('GEOGRAPHY') 342 Epilogue 350 APPENDIX A: The Arrangement of Posidonius' Histories 359 APPENDIX B: The Fragments of Posidonius' Histories 360 Fragment 1 (F 53 E-K) Athenaeus 4. 153C-D 360 Fragment 2 (F 54 E-K) Athenaeus 4. 176B-C 361 Fragment 3 (F 55a Ε-K) Athenaeus 14. 649D 362 Fragment 4 (F 56 Ε-K) Athenaeus 6. 252E 362 Fragment 24 (F 75 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 153B-C 363 Fragment 5 (F 57 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 152F-153A 364 Fragment 6 (F 58 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 549D-E 365 Fragment 7 (F 59 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 542B 366 Fragment 8 (F 60 Ε-K) Athenaeus 6. 263C-D 367 Fragment 9 (F 61 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 540B-C; 5. 210C-D 368 Fragment 10 (F 62 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 527E-F·, 5. 210E-F 369 Fragment 11 (F 63 Ε-K) Athenaeus 10. 439D-E 370 Fragment 12 (F 64 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 153A-B 370 Fragment 14 (F 66 Ε-K) Athenaeus 13. 594D-E 372 Fragment 15 (F 67 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 151E-152D 373 Fragment 16 (F 68 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 154A-C 375 Fragment 17 (F 69 Ε-K) Athenaeus 6. 246C-D 376 Fragment 18 (F 67 Ε—Κ) Athenaeus 4. 152D-F 377 Fragment 13 (F 65 Ε-K) Athenaeus 11. 466B-C 378 Fragment 19 (F 70 Ε-K) Athenaeus 9. 369C-D 379 Fragment 20 (F 71 E-K) Athenaeus 15. 692C-D 380 Fragment 21 (F 72 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 540A-B; 5. 210E 381 Fragment 22 (F 73 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 153E 382 Fragment 23 (F 74 Ε-K) Athenaeus 6. 246D 382 Fragment 25 (F 76 Ε-K) Athenaeus 11. 494F-4Q5A 383 Fragment 26 (F 77 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 550A-B 383 Fragment 27 (F 78 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 168D-B 384 Fragment 38 (F 51 Ε-K) Athenaeus 6. 266E-F 384 Fragment 61 (F 52 Ε-K) Athenaeus 9. 401 A 385 APPENDIX C: Strabo's Acknowledged Sources Arranged Region by Region 387 Bibliography 392 Index of passages 408 Index of subjects 413 0-19-924003-5 Between Geography and History: Hellenistic Constructions of the Roman World......Page 4 Preface......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 List of abbreviations......Page 11 IDENTIFYING THE ISSUE......Page 14 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF TWO DISCIPLINES......Page 17 ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE: GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, AND FOCALIZATION......Page 35 UNITY, DISJUNCTION, AND MODELS OF UNIVERSALISM......Page 52 GEOGRAPHICAL HISTORIANS: FROM GRUNDY TO THE ANNALES......Page 58 THE DEBT TO HERODOTUS; THE CONSEQUENCES OF CONQUEST......Page 79 INTRODUCTION......Page 90 GEOGRAPHY AS ACOMPONENT (μέρος) OF HISTORY......Page 92 GEOGRAPHY IN THE HISTORY......Page 94 POLYBIUS' CONCEPTIONS OF SPACE......Page 110 'PIECEMEAL' (κατὰ μέρος) AND 'AS-A-WHOLE' (καθόλου): POLYBIUS' UNIVERSALISM......Page 127 INTRODUCTION......Page 142 THE PROBLEM OF FRAGMENTARY TEXTS......Page 143 ON OCEAN......Page 152 THE HISTORIES......Page 167 LOCATING UNPLACED FRAGMENTS......Page 184 STOIC 'SYMPATHY' (συμπάθεια): POSIDONIUS' UNIVERSALISM......Page 198 INTRODUCTION......Page 206 STRABO AND THE GEOGRAPHICAL TRADITION: SPATIAL SYSTEMS......Page 210 STRABO'S CIRCULAR MODEL: A WORLD BUILT AROUND ROME?......Page 223 STRABO OF AMASEIA......Page 241 THE PROBLEM OF TIME: A CHANGING WORLD......Page 258 TEMPORAL SYSTEMS: ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE......Page 265 Textual time: Strabo and the tradition......Page 273 The birth and death of cities: πόλις-history......Page 277 The alternative: non-πόλις history......Page 289 THE PRESENT IN THE GEOGRAPHY......Page 294 Geography and history: mutual influences......Page 307 Temporal and regional variations: juggling time and space......Page 312 STRABO'S UNIVERSALISM......Page 320 THE NATURE OF STRABO'S γεωγραφία ('GEOGRAPHY')......Page 342 Epilogue......Page 350 APPENDIX A: The Arrangement of Posidonius' Histories......Page 359 Fragment 1 (F 53 E-K) Athenaeus 4. 153C-D......Page 360 Fragment 2 (F 54 E-K) Athenaeus 4. 176B-C......Page 361 Fragment 4 (F 56 Ε-K) Athenaeus 6. 252E......Page 362 Fragment 24 (F 75 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 153B-C......Page 363 Fragment 5 (F 57 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 152F-153A......Page 364 Fragment 6 (F 58 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 549D-E......Page 365 Fragment 7 (F 59 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 542B......Page 366 Fragment 8 (F 60 Ε-K) Athenaeus 6. 263C-D......Page 367 Fragment 9 (F 61 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 540B-C; 5. 210C-D......Page 368 Fragment 10 (F 62 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 527E-F·, 5. 210E-F......Page 369 Fragment 12 (F 64 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 153A-B......Page 370 Fragment 14 (F 66 Ε-K) Athenaeus 13. 594D-E......Page 372 Fragment 15 (F 67 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 151E-152D......Page 373 Fragment 16 (F 68 Ε-K) Athenaeus 4. 154A-C......Page 375 Fragment 17 (F 69 Ε-K) Athenaeus 6. 246C-D......Page 376 Fragment 18 (F 67 Ε—Κ) Athenaeus 4. 152D-F......Page 377 Fragment 13 (F 65 Ε-K) Athenaeus 11. 466B-C......Page 378 Fragment 19 (F 70 Ε-K) Athenaeus 9. 369C-D......Page 379 Fragment 20 (F 71 E-K) Athenaeus 15. 692C-D......Page 380 Fragment 21 (F 72 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 540A-B; 5. 210E......Page 381 Fragment 23 (F 74 Ε-K) Athenaeus 6. 246D......Page 382 Fragment 26 (F 77 Ε-K) Athenaeus 12. 550A-B......Page 383 Fragment 38 (F 51 Ε-K) Athenaeus 6. 266E-F......Page 384 Fragment 61 (F 52 Ε-K) Athenaeus 9. 401 A......Page 385 APPENDIX C: Strabo's Acknowledged Sources Arranged Region by Region......Page 387 Bibliography......Page 392 Index of passages......Page 408 Index of subjects......Page 413 "The late Hellenistic period witnessed the rise of an imperial power whose dominion extended across almost the whole known world. The Roman empire radically affected geographical conceptions, evoking new ways of describing the earth and of constructing its history. In this book the writings of three literary figures of the age are explored - the History of Polybius, two fragmentary works of Posidonius, and the universal Geography of Strabo. Analysis in terms of the philosophical concepts of time and space reveals the generic fluidity of such 'geographical' and 'historical' works. Furthermore, these ambitiously wide-ranging accounts are appropriate literary media for the response to Roman power. They use, but transform, preexisting Greek traditions in order to describe the new world of Rome, making them fitting products of a transitional age. This book provides a new approach to Roman imperialism by considering its impact on historiography and geographical thought."--Jacket