The Greco-Roman Conception of the North from Pytheas to Tacitus

Abstract

In this attempt to outline the main phases in the unveiling of the north in terms of present-day research, we define 'North' as all the regions bordering the Atlantic Ocean which Strabo contains in his expression 'Paroceanitide', i.e. northwest Gaul (including the province of Belgium), the Britannic Isles, Lower Germany, and the Scandinavian peninsula. ... [The article summarizes Greek and Roman knowledge of the farthest northern frontiers by providing a survey of principal sources for the researcher of classical antiquity, and the archaeologist.]