CHAPTER L
INTRODUCTORY.
Importance of the History of Geography—Subdivisions of Geography: (i) Ma-
thematical, (3) Physical, (3) Descriptive and Political, (4) Historical—
The Mediterranean Sea the Starting-point in the Enquiry—Its Advantages
—Commerce and Settlements of the Phoenicians in the Aegean Sea, in
Africa and Sicily, and at Gades—Their selfish Policy detrimental to Know-
ledge—The Greeks; their Qualifications for the Study of Geography—
Greece a suggestive Country for this Subject, in its General Features, and
its Peculiar Phenomena—Disappearance of Rivers—Currents of the Euri-
pus—Volcanic Phenomena and Earthquakes—The Study of Geography
almost confined to the Greeks—Greek Explorers—Greek Scientific Geo-
graphers—Hardly any Roman Geographers—Geographical Eras and Cen-
tres—Greek Colonies—Miletus and the Ionian School—Herodotus—Early
Expeditions—Alexander's Campaigns—Foundation of Alexandria— Roman
Conque.sts—Augustan Age—Ptolemy—Stimulating Influence of Geogra-
phical Discoveries—Cuiious Information thus obtained—Means of testing
the Reports of Early Travellers—Marvellous Narratives not necessarily
Incredible.
THE History of Geography forms an integral part of the history of
the development of the human race. It chronicles importance
the gradual advances which men made in their of the History
intercourse with their fellow men, and the results ° cograp y*
of those advances in enlarged views of life and increased civili-
sation. It notes their progress in speculation on such subjects
as the shape and magnitude of the earth, the position of the
continents on its surface, the tides and other recurring phenomena,
and on the changes which they either saw taking place before
their eyes, or inferred as having happened in the past from the
appearance of existing objects. Finally, as its most rightful)
function, it traces the increase of the knowledge which they
possessed of various countries—of their outline and surface, their
mountains and rivers, their products and commodities. And as
geography is the most central in its position of aH the sciences,