35 - Hypotypōsis tēs geōgraphias en epitomēi (Outline of Geography in Summary)

Summary

This chapter presents a new, annotated translation of the anonymous, but substantial, Hypotypōsis (Outline) of Geography which, like the shorter outline by Agathemeros (Chapter 29 of this volume), was probably written as a new preface to Arrian’s collection of geographical works; it is thought to date from the last third of the 6th century AD and may be by the same author as the Circumnavigation of the Euxine (Chapter 36). The author begins with general principles about the Earth and the continents, before surveying the regions of the oikoumene (inhabited portion of the Earth) systematically, then the ‘gulfs’ of the outer Ocean. After a discussion of the wind rose, the dimensions of the principal seas are given, followed by the climatic zones and details of Lake Maiotis (the Sea of Azov). The chapter introduction shows that the text represents an expansion and update of Agathemeros, incorporating a Ptolemaic understanding of the world.