Pausanias_Travel_Writing_in_Ancient Greece [Maria_Pretzler]

Pausanias: Travel Writing in Ancient Greece
sophist literally meant to acquire Greekness. 40
Aspiring pepaideumenoi
had the chance to hear the great sophists on their lecture tours, or they
travelled to become acquainted with different rhetorical schools. As a
consequence, this most elevated form of paideia meant membership of a
network of people who would know each other well, so much so that
insiders could produce and recognise parodies of other sophists’ rhetorical
styles. 41 Many would also embark on a Grand Tour to Greece, Asia Minor
and Egypt to complement their literary studies with a knowledge of the
most famous ancient sites. This allowed them an encounter with locations
they already knew from the classical texts. Such educated tourists probably
shared many interests with Pausanias, especially regarding new
insights in the interpretation of the literary tradition. Classical art and
architecture were also of interest to educated travellers, and celebrated
works of the old masters attracted large numbers of visitors. 42 In fact, art
connoisseurship was essential to maintain one’s credentials as a true
pepaideumenos, and in order to acquire a good working knowledge of the
most famous masterpieces and artists’ styles most would have needed to
visit a number of key sites. 43
The travelling habits of the Greek élite also had an impact on the way
in which they assessed and presented information in their texts, particularly
in historical or geographical works, where personal research and
travelling experience were increasingly seen as indispensable. Polybios is
particularly outspoken about the subject, and, like Thucydides, he felt that
his own involvement in important historical events was a special incentive
to write about contemporary history. 44
He stresses the importance of
original research, and his ideas about developments in the field of historical
and geographical studies are closely connected with the rapid
expansion of the Roman empire and the conquest of the Hellenistic world
in his lifetime.
In our own time, however, the regions of Asia have been opened up for travel
by land and sea by the empire of Alexander, and the other regions through
the rule of Rome. Men with practical experience have been freed from the
need to strive for excellence in war or politics and have therefore found many
good opportunities to concentrate their efforts on the knowledge of the areas
already mentioned, and we can therefore expect to have a better and more
accurate understanding of what was formerly unknown. I am especially
determined to give the curious full information about these matters, because
it was for this reason that I faced the dangers and discomforts of my travels
in Libya, Iberia and Gaul, as well as of the sea which washes the western
shores of these regions; so that I might correct the ignorance of those who
have gone before, and acquaint the Greeks with these parts of the inhabited
world. 45 (Polyb. 3.59)
Considering that Polybios’ political career ended when he was taken to
Italy as a hostage this statement seems over-enthusiastic, but he clearly
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