Geopolitics in the geographical work of Strabo
Journal Title: European Journal of Geopolitics - Year 2015, Vol 3, Issue
Abstract
Strabo of Amasia is recognized to be one of the greatest ancient geographers. His monumental work Geography is the first geographical treatise which encompasses the whole known world of that time. Although geopolitics as an independent area of knowledge appeared in the end of the nineteenth century, its origins can be found in the Antiquity. Due to the similarity and relations between geopolitics and geography it is justified to seek sources of geopolitics in the works of the earliest geographers. Therefore, it seems to be quite reasonable to examine the Strabo’s contribution to the development of geopolitical concepts. The main aim of this article is to prove the thesis that Strabo is the forerunner of geography, as well as of geopolitics. Research is based on Strabo’s work Geography. It consists of seventeen books. The two initial books include a theoretical introduction to the next fifteen books, which describe particular regions of the ancient oikoumene. The paper presents geopolitical ideas contained in the general introduction, as well as in the depiction of different regions. One of the most meaningful concepts, repeatedly expressed by Strabo, is that geography should serve the needs of states and their authorities. It helps the rulers to govern their countries and provides information about the others, what is useful both for foreign policy and international trade. It is probably the description of the Italian Peninsula where we can find the most expressive example of Strabo’s geopolitical thinking. He analyses its geographical features in terms of its security as well as its internal and international economic opportunities. He also noticed the superiority of the Roman Empire in comparison to the other nations. The geopolitical ideas are visible in the description of particular cities as well. This article takes into account Sinopê, located on the southern coast of The Black Sea and the city of Rome.
Authors and Affiliations
Rafał Koszek
Keywords
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Imperija prostranstwa. Chrestomatija po geopolitikie i geokulturie Rossii. Ed. D.N. Zamyatin i A.N. Zamyatin, Moscow 2003, p. 717
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