A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

916 STRABO. STRABO.
year of his birth is not ascertained; but it has was written after such time; but Groskurd does
been fixed by some writers by a conjecture founded make such inferences. At the close of the sixth
on several passages in the geography, about B. C. book (p. 288) Strabo speaks of Caesar Germanicus
66. In B. c. 29 Strabo was at Gyaros, and on as still living. Germanicus died in Syria in A. D.
his voyage to Corinth. Octavianus Caesar was' 20 (19); and Groskurd concludes that the sixth
then at Corinth, and on his road to Italy to cele- book was written in A. D. 19. The true conclusion
brate the triumph of his victory at Actium (p. 485). is that this passage was written before A. D. 19.
Strabo was probably on his way to Italy and It has been shown that Strabo was writing after
Rome, where he spent several years. In B. C. 24, A.D. 19, and yet the passage at the end of the
Strabo was with his friend Aelius Gallus in Egypt, sixth book stands as he wrote it, though Gerand travelled as far as Syene (p. 816). It is as- manicus was dead when he wrote the passage
sumed that he must have been a man of mature about Juba II. in the seventeenth book. This
years when he first visited Rome, but there is shows that the inference from particular passages
nothing which justifies the conjecture of making should be the strict logical inference and no more.
him eight and thirty at the time of this visit, in A passage in the fourth book (p. 206) certainly
order to establish B. c. 66 as the year of his birth. was written in A. D. 19, for Strabo there states
A passage in which Strabo says (p..568) that he that the Carni and Taurisci had quietly paid trisaw P. Servilius Isauricus, has given rise to some bute for thirty-three years; and both these tribes
discussion. This Servilius defeated the Isauri, were reduced to subjection by Tiberius and Drusus
whence he got the name Isauricus, between B. c. in B. C. 14. Groskurd concludes thus: "if Strabo
77 and 75; and he died at Rome in B. c. 44, at wrote his fourth book in his eighty-fifth year, and
the age of ninety. If Strabo saw this Isauricus, if we allow him two years for the composition of
when did he see him? As the question cannot be the first three books, he will have commenced his
satisfactorily answered, it has been assumed that work in the eighty-third year of his age; and since
Strabo confounded Isauricus with some other dis- he finished it in his eighty-eighth or ninth year, we
tingnished Roman whom he saw in Asia in his may allow for the composition of the whole work
youth, or that he has confounded him with the son six or seven years." This conclusion as to the age
P. Servilius Casca, who was also called Isauricus. when Strabo began his work depends on the date
But it is clear that Strabo means to say that he saw of his birth, which is unknown; and the conthe Isauricus who got his name from the conquest clusion as to the times at which he wrote particular
of the Isaurians. The assumed date, B. c. 66, for books is not certain.
the birth of Strabo, is too early. He was certainly Strabo had a good education. Tyrannio of Amiwriting as late as A. D. 18; and perhaps we may sus in Pontus, a professor of grammatic, is menwith Clinton place his birth not later than B. c. tioned by Strabo as his teacher (p. 548); but if
54. But Strabo was a pupil of Tyrannio the Tyannio went to Rome soon after the capture of
grammarian (p. 548), and Tyrannio was made pri- Amisus, Strabo must have heard him at Rome;
soner by Lucullus in B. c. 71, and carried to Rome, and if he did not hear him at Rome as a
probably not later than B. c. 66, and perhaps youth, he must have heard him when he was
earlier. Strabo therefore was a hearer of Tyrannio of mature years. This question about Tyrannio
at Rome. is not clear. See Clinton, Fast. Hellen. B. c.
The name Strabo (squint-eyed) is originally 58. Strabo also received instruction in gram~Greek, though it was also used by the Romans, and matic and rhetoric from Aristodemus, at Nysa in
applied as a cognomen, among others, to the father Caria (p. 650); and he afterwards studied philoof Pompeius Magnus. How the geographer got sophy under Xenarchus of Seleucia in Cilicia (p.
this name we are not informed. 670),-but Strabo does not say that he heard him
Groskurd infers that Strabo died about!,A. D 24. in Cilicia. Xenarchus finally taught at Rome,
Strabo (lib. xii. p. 576) says that Cyzicus was still where he died. Boethus of Sidon, afterwards a
a free state; but in A. D. 25, Cyzicus lost its pri- Stoical philosopher, was the companion of Straba
vilege as a Libera Civitas (amisere libertatem; in his Aristotelian studies (p. 757). Strabo seems
Tacit. Ann. iv. 36; Dion Cass. liv. 7). Accord- to have had only moderate mathematical and astroingly, Groskurd concludes that Strabo was dead in nomical knowledge, and certainly he did not posA. D. 25; but this is not a necessary conclusion. sess all the knowledge of his times. He was well
We can only conclude that the passage about Cyzi- acquainted with history and the mythological tracus was written before A. D. 25. In the seven- ditions of his nation; and also with the Greek
teenth and last book (p. 828, &c.) he mentions poets, and particularly with Homer. He must
the death of Juba II. as a recent occurrence, and have had competent means to obtain a good educahe also mentions the fact of Juba being succeeded by tion, and as he travelled a great deal and appahis son Ptolemaeus. Juba died in A. D. 21. The rently had no professional or other occupation, we
conclusion that Strabo died in A. D. 24 is unsup- may conclude that his father left him some proported by any evidence. We only know that he perty. It does not appear where he was living
died after A. D. 21. Groskurd's reckoning makes while he wrote his work, but wherever it was, lie
Strabo attain the age of near ninety. In fact he had opportunities of being acquainted with the
may have lived after A. D. 25, and may have been chief public events that took place in the Roman
more than ninety when he died; but as the year empire.
of his birth is unknown, we cannot fix the limit of The philosophical sect to which Strabo belonged
his age. was the Stoical, as appears plainly enough from
As to the time at which he wrote his work, we many passages in his Geography. He wrote an
know nothing more than can be collected from historical work, intitled'Ier0oplcd'T7ropv,/tac-a,
particular passages, and we cannot with certainty which he mentions himself, and it is also cited by
infer from a particular passage in a book being Plutarch (Lzcullus, 28, Sulla, 26), who calls him
written after a given time, that the whole book Strabo the philosopher. This work, in forty-three