In Our Chronological Arrangement Of This Progress, Incidental
And Detached Notices Respecting Their Commerce Will Occur, Which, Though
They Could Not Well Be Introduced In The General View, Yet Will Serve To
Render The Picture Of It More Complete.
It is evident that the principal accessions to geographical knowledge among
the Romans, at least till their ambition was satinted, or nearly so, by
conquest, must have been derived from their military expeditions.
It is
only towards the time of Augustus that we find men, whose sole object in
visiting foreign countries was to become acquainted with their state,
manners, &c.
Polybius is one of the earliest authors who give us a glimpse of the state
of geographical knowledge among the Romans, about the middle of the second
century before Christ, the period when he flourished. lie was the great
friend of Scipio, whom he accompanied in his expedition against Carthage.
From his enquiries while in Africa, he informed himself of the geography of
the northern parts of that quarter of the world; and he actually visited
the coast as far as Mount Atlas, or Cape Nun, beyond which, however, he
does not seem to have proceeded. He wrote a Periplus, or account of his
voyage, which is not in existence, but is referred to and quoted by Pliny.
He possessed also more accurate information of the western coasts of Europe
than was had before; derived, it would appear, from the voyages of some
Romans. Yet, with all this knowledge of what we may deem distant parts,
Polybius was ignorant of the real shape of Italy, which he describes as
stretching from east to west; a mistake which seems to have originated with
him, and was copied by Strabo.
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