|
The First Geographer of the World: STRABON
The famous geographer and historian Strabon (B.C. 63) was born in Amasya. It
is supposed that he was a relative of Roman aristocrats. Since he was from a
wealthy family, he had a good education. Leaving Amasya, he travelled along
the Nile River. He stated that he had travelled from the Black Sea in the
north as far as Sardunia in the west and Etiopia in the south. Later he
spent many years in Rome. During his travels, he studied and acquired
knowledge about history, geography and philosophy and wrote books. He
returned Amasya, the city he called “ My Hometown” and lived here for about
26/27 years. He died here in A.D.26.
Only some small parts remain out of his work including 43 books on history.
His most famous work is “Geographika”, the one in which he tells the world
geography refering to his time. This famous work by Strabon has been
translated into many languages up to now.
His book on geography is not only a book on geography but also an
encyclopedia giving information about the primitive world at the time of the
birth of Christ and a historic geography or a philosophy of geography.
What Strabon writes about Amasya
“...My city; it is located on a green and deep valley through which the Iris
(Yeşilırmak) flows. Human labour provides this place with a feature of being
both a city and a citadel in the best way. Because, this place is very high
and rocky, goes down the river upright. On the spot where the city is
located around the river is a wall in addition to the walls extending up the
steep hills on the two banks of the river. There are two of these hills and
they rise like a splendid tower. The palaces of the kings and the monumental
tombs are in this place. Although Amesia (Amasya) is a province now, it once
belonged to kings..."
|
