:This article is about the Greek geographer. For other people called "Strabo", see Strabo (disambiguation).



Strabo (Greek: Στράβων; 63/64 BC – ca. AD 24) was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.

Strabo was born in a wealthy family from Amaseia in Pontus (modern Amasya Turkey), which had recently become part of the Roman Empire. His mother was Georgian. He studied under various geographers and philosophers; first in Nysa, later in Rome. He was philosophically a Stoic and politically a proponent of Roman imperialism. Later he made extensive travels to Egypt and Kush, among others. It is not known when his Geography was written, though comments within the work itself place the finished version within the reign of Emperor Tiberius. Some place its first drafts at around AD 7, others around 18. Last dateable mention is given to the death in 23 of Juba II, king of Maurousia (Mauretania), who is said to have died "just recently." On the presumption that "recently" means within a year, Strabo stopped writing that year or the next (24 AD), perhaps because of his death.

Strabo's History is nearly completely lost. Although Strabo quotes it himself, and other classical authors mention that it existed, the only surviving document is a fragment of papyrus now in possession of the University of Milan (renumbered <nowiki>[</nowiki>Papyrus<nowiki>]</nowiki> 46).

Several different dates have been proposed for Strabo's death, but most of them place it shortly after 23.

Strabo is mostly famous for his 17-volume work Geographica, which presented a descriptive history of people and places from different regions of the world known to his era.

* Strabo in Greek, Teubner Edition. Downloadable Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=MvoHAAAAQAAJ&printsec=titlepage&dq=Strabo&as_brr=1#PPP7,M1.