Il mondo della lirica arcaica e tardo-arcaica nella Geografia di Strabone e le citazioni poetiche come fonte di autorità

Abstract

Strabo’s Geography is a monumental work that reveals the use of multiple sources, including
the Archaic and Late Archaic lyricists. The aim of this article is to consider Strabo’s
attitude towards these poets and to examine the nature of their quotations, highlighting the
influence of the Alexandrian school, which authors are mentioned and for what purpose he
chooses to cite them. The analysis of some significant passages shows that these citations
are included in the Geography as authoritative evidence intended to support the information
provided and can be traced back to precise subject areas. An important core of references
to the lyricists is found in the discussion of Homeric geography and concerns the
theme of Homer’s defence. Numerous poets and verses can also be found when the origins
of cities and monuments are described. The geographer, who was influenced by the
Stoic philosophy, thus joins the ancient debate on the value of poetry and challenges the
opinion of those who considered it to be a source of secondary importance, aimed only at
providing pleasure.