Polybius on the Pontus: A Tale of Geological Time

Este artículo examina la digresión sobre la hidrografía del Mar Negro (Pontus Euxinus) en el Libro IV de las Historias de Polibio. Las observaciones del historiador griego sobre los efectos que tiene a largo plazo de la acción de los ríos y de las corrientes en la transformación a gran escala de los elementos del paisaje geográfico lo convierten en un notable precursor del uniformitarismo geológico. Sus agudas reflexiones sobre los requisitos epistemológicos del conocimiento fiable acerca de los fenómenos naturales representan una aproximación temprana al método científico en geología, así como al estudio sistemático del tiempo a escala geológica y de los procesos geológicos en el ámbito de la historia natural.  

Debido al carácter interdisciplinar de este trabajo sobre Polibio, su versión inglesa fue difundida en numerosas revistas de distintos ámbitos científicos de la SSRN (Geología, Historia, Ciencias de la Tierra, Geografía...). Existe una traducción al ruso, también muy difundida, que enlazo al final de esta entrada.

 

 

English Abstract

This paper examines Polybius' digression on the hydrography of the Black Sea (Pontus Euxinus) in Book IV of the 'Histories'. The Greek historian's observations on the long-term action of rivers and sea currents in the transformation of large-scale geographical features make him a noteworthy precursor of geological uniformitarianism. His insightful reflections on the epistemological requirements of reliable knowledge on natural phenomena provide an early approach to the scientific method in geology, and to the systematic study of deep time and long-term geological processes in natural history.

Keywords: Polybius, Marine geology, Black Sea, Hydrography, Geological processes, Uniformitarianism, Geology, Greek historians

Suggested Citation:

Garcia Landa, Jose Angel, Polybius on the Pontus: A Tale of Geological Time (March 10, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4309736

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SSRN eJournal Classifications	Message
CRN Subject Matter eJournals      Ancient Greek & Roman History eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
CRN Subject Matter eJournals      Ancient Greek & Roman Literature eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
CRN Subject Matter eJournals      Ancient Greek & Roman Philosophy & Science eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
CRN Subject Matter eJournals      Ancient Greek & Roman Philosophy & Science eJournal - CMBO          CRN: Ancient Geology & Geography (Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
CRN Subject Matter eJournals      Ancient Greek & Roman Literature eJournal - CMBO          CRN: Genres (Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
CRN Subject Matter eJournals      Ancient Greek & Roman History eJournal - CMBO          CRN: Greek History (Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
CRN Subject Matter eJournals      Ancient Greek & Roman History eJournal - CMBO          CRN: Greek History (Topic) - CMBO              CRN: Hellenistic Greece (Greek History) (Sub-Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
CRN Subject Matter eJournals      Ancient Greek & Roman Literature eJournal - CMBO          CRN: Genres (Topic) - CMBO              CRN: History & Biography (Sub-Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
EarthSciRN Subject Matter eJournals      Geophysics eJournal - CMBO          EarthSciRN: Other Geophysics (Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
EarthSciRN Subject Matter eJournals      Hydrology & Ocean Sciences eJournal - CMBO          EarthSciRN: Other Hydrology (Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
EarthSciRN Subject Matter eJournals      Geophysics eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
EnvironSciRN Subject Matter eJournals      Environmental Science & Climate Change eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
EnvironSciRN Subject Matter eJournals      Marine Conservation Hub eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
GeographyRN Subject Matter eJournals      Cognitive, Cultural & Historical Geography eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
GeographyRN Subject Matter eJournals      Cognitive, Cultural & Historical Geography eJournal - CMBO          GeographyRN: Historical Geography (Topic) - CMBO              GeographyRN: Historical Geography Sources (Sub-Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
GeographyRN Subject Matter eJournals      Cognitive, Cultural & Historical Geography eJournal - CMBO          GeographyRN: Historical Geography (Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
GeographyRN Subject Matter eJournals      History & Theory of Geography eJournal - CMBO          GeographyRN: Other Geographic Theories & History (Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
GeographyRN Subject Matter eJournals      History & Theory of Geography eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
GeologyRN Subject Matter eJournals      Structural & Marine Geology & Tectonics eJournal - CMBO          GeologyRN: Other Structural Geology & Tectonics (Topic) - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
GeologyRN Subject Matter eJournals      Geomorphology & Sedimentary Geology eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
GeologyRN Subject Matter eJournals      Structural & Marine Geology & Tectonics eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
HistoryRN Subject Matter eJournals      Ancient European & Mediterranean History eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary
HistoryRN Subject Matter eJournals      History of Science & Environment eJournal - CMBO	Added to eLibrary

En ruso — Russian version:

José Angel García Landa (Хосе Анхел Гарсиа Ланда).  "ПОЛИБИЙ О ПОНТЕ ЭВКСИНСКОМ: ИСТОРИЯ ГЕОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ВРЕМЕНИ." In García Landa, Vanity Fea 14 April 2021.*

         https://vanityfea.blogspot.com/2021/04/blog-post.html

         2021