Armenia in Ptolemy’s Geography (ca. AD 150): A “Parody” of His Work? Some Corrections and Suggestions
Armenia in Ptolemy’s Geography (ca. AD 150): A “Parody” of His Work? Some Corrections and Suggestions
Author(s): Klaus GeusSubject(s): History, Ancient World
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: Ptolemy; ancient Armenia; ancient geography; cartography
Summary/Abstract: Ptolemyʾs Geographike Hyphegesis (Introduction to Geography) (ca. AD 150) consists of a huge and invaluable stock of topographical information. More than 6,000 toponyms are even defined by coordinates. Nevertheless, Ptolemyʾs cities are often misplaced or pop up more than once in his maps. This is especially true with his confusing description of Armenia (geogr. 5.13), which caused a modern scholar to call it a ‘parody’ of his work and method. This paper aims at clarifying the basic error in all of Ptolemyʾs coordinates and proposes some explanations and corrections for his Armenian toponyms.
Journal: Electrum. Studia z historii starożytnej
- Issue Year: 2021
- Issue No: 28
- Page Range: 21-40
- Page Count: 20
- Language: English