Augustus and Geometry. The Geographic Basis of Roman Dominion

Abstract

The paper presented here raises the question of what members of the Roman elites in the time of Augustus knew about the space they ruled. As “case study” serves the Iberian Peninsula and as “object” the cities considered to be the fundaments of Rome’s dominion. The outlining of the geographical knowledge that we find in Eratosthenes, Polybios, Strabo, Pliny and others shows on one hand what understanding of the world imperatores, governors and member of the decemviri had in mind when they decided about founding cities. On the other hand, it demonstrates that images of the world based on this knowledge or cartography reflect a scientific perspective that is opposite to daily, practical orientation within the space. Concerning the latter, knowledge based on experience traded down orally was the most important, and the first princeps obviously had a commanding knowledge of it. The limits he put handling geometry were based on traditional structures, thus made possible the integration of a diversity of ethnic groups but not their homogenization.