Strabo

Strabo's most famous surviving work is his 17-volume geographical treatise known as the "Geographica." Completed around 20 AD, this monumental text provided a comprehensive descriptive history and map of the known Roman world and the people inhabiting it.

Strabo was born in the ancient Greek city of Amaseia, which is located in modern-day Turkey, around 64 BC. His family was politically prominent, which allowed him the resources and connections to travel extensively and gather the information needed for his geographical writings.

Almost the entirety of the "Geographica" has survived to the present day, with the notable exception of the concluding portions of Book 7. The text was preserved through continuous copying by Byzantine monks and scholars throughout the Middle Ages, ensuring its status as a vital historical record.

While Strabo traveled extensively across the Roman Empire, visiting regions like Egypt, Greece, and Italy, he did not personally visit every location described in his 17 volumes. For the regions he had not seen, such as the deeper parts of Asia and Africa, he relied heavily on synthesizing the earlier works of Greek geographers like Eratosthenes and Artemidorus.