Editing Strabo (section)

==Education==

Strabo studied under several prominent teachers of various specialities throughout his early life. He mentions all or most of his teachers as prominent citizens of their own respective cities, at different stops during his Mediterranean travels. The first chapter of his education took place in [[Nysa on the Maeander|Nysa]] (modern [[Sultanhisar]], Turkey) under the master of rhetoric [[Aristodemus of Nysa the Younger|Aristodemus]], the grandson of the famous [[Posidonius]], whose influence is manifest in Strabo's ''Geography''. Aristodemus had formerly taught the sons of the Roman general who had taken over Pontus. This also highlights the international trend of the era that Greek intellectuals would often instruct the Roman elite. Aristodemus was the head of two schools of rhetoric and grammar, one in Nysa and one in [[Rhodes]].  The school in Nysa possessed a distinct intellectual curiosity in Homeric literature and the interpretation of the ancient Greek epics. Strabo was an admirer of [[Homer]]'s poetry, perhaps as a consequence of his time spent in Nysa with Aristodemus. 

He was influenced by [[Hecataeus of Miletus|Hecataeus]] and [[Aristotle]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Strabo|title=Strabo &#124; Greek geographer and historian|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> 

At around the age of 21, Strabo moved to Rome, in 44&nbsp;BC, and stayed there, studying and writing, until at least 31&nbsp;BC.  He studied philosophy with the [[Peripatetic school|Peripatetic]] [[Xenarchus]], a highly respected tutor in Augustus's court. Despite Xenarchus's Aristotelian leanings, Strabo later gives evidence to have formed his own [[Stoicism|Stoic]] inclinations.Largely due to his future teacher Athenodorus, tutor of [[Augustus]].In Rome, he also learned grammar under the rich and famous scholar [[Tyrannion of Amisus]]. Thus completing his traditional Greek aristocratic education in rhetoric, grammar, and philosophy. Tyrannion was known to have befriended [[Cicero]] and taught his nephew, Quintus. Although Tyrannion was also a Peripatetic, he was more relevantly a respected authority on geography, a fact of some significance considering Strabo's future contributions to the field.

The final noteworthy mentor to Strabo was [[Athenodorus Cananites]], a philosopher who had spent his life since 44&nbsp;BC in Rome forging relationships with the Roman elite. Athenodorus passed onto Strabo his philosophy, his knowledge and his contacts. Unlike the Aristotelian Xenarchus and Tyrannion who preceded him in teaching Strabo, Athenodorus was a [[Stoicism|Stoic]] and almost certainly the source of Strabo's diversion from the philosophy of his former mentors. Moreover, from his own first-hand experience, Athenodorus provided Strabo with information about regions of the empire which Strabo would not otherwise have known about.
The first of Strabo's major works, ''Historical Sketches'' (''Historica hypomnemata''), written while he was in Rome ({{Circa|20&nbsp;BC}}), is nearly completely lost. Meant to cover the history of the known world from the conquest of Greece by the Romans, Strabo quotes it himself and other classical authors mention that it existed, although the only surviving document is a fragment of papyrus now in the possession of the [[University of Milan]] (renumbered [Papyrus]&nbsp;46).