Open AccessArmenia in Ptolemy’s Geography (ca. AD 150): A “Parody” of His Work? Some Corrections and Suggestions
Author(s) -
Klaus Geus
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
electrum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.101
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 2084-3909
pISSN - 1897-3426
DOI - 10.4467/20800909el.21.004.13362
Subject(s) - ptolemy's table of chords , toponymy , formalism (music) , work (physics) , geography , history , classics , archaeology , art , literature , engineering , musical , mechanical engineering
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.