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BOOK I.
INTRODUCTION.
SUMMARY. That geographical investigation is not inconsistent with philosophy.—That
Homer gives proof of it throughout his poems.—That they who first wrote
on the science have omitted much, or given disjointed, defective, false, or
inconsistent accounts.—Proofs and demonstrations of the correctness of
this statement, with general heads containing a summary description of the
disposition of the whole habitable earth.—Credit to be attached to the
probabilities and evident proofs that in many regions the land and sea have
been shifted, and exchanged places with each other. note IF the scientific investigation of any subject be the proper
avocation of the philosopher, Geography, the science of which
we propose to treat, is certainly entitled to a high place; and
this is evident from many considerations. They who first
ventured to handle the matter were distinguished men.
Homer, Anaximander the Milesian, and Hecataeus, (his fellow-citizen according to Eratosthenes,) Democritus, Eudoxus,
Dicaearchus, Ephorus, with many others, and after these
Erastosthenes, Polybius, and Posidonius, all of them philosophers.
Nor is the great learning, through which alone this subject can be approached, possessed by any but a person acquainted with both human and divine things, note and these attainments
constitute what is called philosophy. In addition to its vast
importance in regard to social life, and the art of government,
Geography unfolds to us the celestial phenomena, acquaints us
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Strabo, Geography (English) (XML Header) [genre: prose] [word count] [lemma count] [Str.].
