STRAMO (Lat.. from Gk. rxrplOimt, S trab5n) (c. 64 n.c.-19 A.D.). A famous Greek geographer and historian, born at Amasia, in Pontus. IIe received his education first at Nysa, on the Meander, from the grammarian Aristodemus and appears to have come to Rome with the Peripatetic Xenarehus and the grammarian Tyrannion, whose pupil he had also been. The date of his arrival seems to have been about B.C. 29. In B.C. 24 he left Rome in the train of aElius Gallus, traveled in Arabia, and, returning to Rome in me. 20, made it his home until his death. Yet (luring this latter period Ile must have undertaken great journeys, for he informs us in his own work that he had traveled from Armenia in the east to Sardinia in the west, and from the Pontus Euxinus on the north to the borders of Ethiopia. While we lack certain in formation with regard to these journeys, Strabo's scanty knowledge of events in Rome in the lat ter half of Augustus's rule gives basis to the conjecture that he was absent during this period, very probably at the Court of Pythodoris. Queen of Poutus, of whom he makes frequent mention in his work. Strabo is most famous for his Geography, extant in 17 books, of which the first two deal with physical geography, books 3 to 10 with the geography of Europe, 11 to 16 with that of Asia, and book 17 with that of Africa. It is
quite clear from internal evidence that the au thor did not complete his original plan. The sources of his knowledge were first of all his own observations made during his long journeys, and secondly the earlier geographers, of whom the most famous were Eratosthenes, Attend dorms, and Apollodo•us of Athens. For Spain and Gaul his chief sourees were Polybius and Posidonius.
His other work, of which we have but scanty fragments, was his History, which comprised 43 hooks. It was intended as a supplement to the work of Polybius and was divided into two parts. The first part sketched the history down to the period at which Polyhius began; the latter treat ed in greater detail the history from Polybius to B.C. 27. The fragments of this work are published by ?Biller, Fragment(' His1orico•uicn. Grweorunt, vol. iii. Consult also Otto. "Strabonis laroptkiDe ii-nyvuyartev Fragmenta," in Leipziger Stu dien, vol. xi. (1889). The Geography is edited by Kramer (Berlin, 1844-52) ; 1\leineke (Leip zig, 1866-77). English translation by Hamil ton in Classical Library (London, 1887) ; translation of selections, with introduction, maps, and plans, by Tozer (Oxford, 1893).