E.— GEOGRAPHY. 109 



Ancient Geography in 'Classical Studies.' 



Now it happens that these two cultures, each with its characteristic 

 ideal of what man's life may come to be, represent supreme achievements 

 of humanity within natural regions and regimes strongly contrasted both 

 with each other and with those of the British homeland. Greek life and 

 all its legacy to us are man's solution of the problem not merely of main- 

 taining life under Mediterranean conditions, but of realising to the full 

 what life under those conditions might become. We are only beginning 

 to know, through the discoveries of Huntington, Antevs, Pettersson, and 

 Brooks, among others, how exceptional was the conjunction of physical 

 circumstances which made the Mediterranean region itself, and in 

 particular the Greek cradlelands round the ^gean Archipelago, unusually 

 favourable ground for such an adventure ; and how essential it is to re- 

 construct, from all available sources of evidence, that picture of a region 

 not only almost unspoiled as yet by man's enterprises, but temporarily 

 competent to repair his ravages and postpone his worst derangements of 

 its natural regime. Conversely, as our knowledge of the later symptoms 

 of decline and disorganisation grows, as we see it pictured in Rostovtseff's 

 Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire, the fact of a general 

 hardening of the physical conditions — for which there appears to be 

 sufficient evidence, and full corroboration from the course of events in 

 North- Western Europe — goes far to explain the perplexing way in which 

 well-considered remedies failed of their effect, and sometimes even 

 aggravated that ' distress of nations with perplexity ' which was 

 imminent already in the last century of the Roman Republic. Both in 

 its adolescence and in its old age — if we may recur to phrases which no 

 one here will mistake for arguments— the Greek view of life, and the 

 Roman too, which was so profoundly influenced by it, are revealed, as 

 we come to know the circumstances, as the philosophy of a glorious adven- 

 ture, of experiment in a new phase of exploitation, of co-operation for 

 fresh social and political ends, of adjustment of inherited technique and 

 behaviour to unexplored conditions and occasions. If ever man conquered 

 Nature by stooping to reasoned conformity with Nature's restrictions, it 

 was here ; if ever invention was the child of necessity, it was in the strict 

 school of Mediterranean and, above all, of ^Egean environment. 



This environment, however, happens to be one which illustrates with 

 exceptional facility that interaction of geographical factors which makes 

 all natural regions what they are. Partly no doubt for that reason, but 

 mainly on account of the special interest and importance of its human 

 geography, the Mediterranean region has been long and carefully studied ; 

 and is, I think, recognised by many teachers of geography as one of the 

 most valuable for analytical study. Further, at almost all periods of 

 history subsequent to the ' classical age ' the Mediterranean has had 

 considerable historical significance ; and this significance has varied 

 widely enough, through the changing relations between the region itself 

 and its neighbours, to make the comparative study of its economic and 

 political vicissitudes exceptionally instructive. Most important of all, 

 though physical conditions have not apparently been quite uniform 

 throughout, they do not seem to have ever varied sufficiently to modify 



