The Historical Geography of Asia Minor

Ramsay's The Historical Geography of Asia Minor (1890) was a pioneering work of classical topography, and remains a key reference for archaeologists, classicists and New Testament scholars. It examines the trade routes and road systems of Roman and Byzantine Asia Minor and its political divisions into cities and bishoprics.

The archaeologist and New Testament scholar William Mitchell Ramsay (1851–1939) first published The Historical Geography of Asia Minor in 1890, pioneering the study of classical topography. The book, based on his extensive fieldwork, is split into two parts. Part 1 examines the trade routes and road systems - both Roman and Byzantine - of Asia Minor. It discusses Hellenism and Orientalism and assesses the reliability of ancient topographical accounts of the area, including the Peutinger Table, the itineraries and a number of Ptolemy's geographical comments. Part 2 examines the political divisions of Asia Minor into cities and bishoprics. A number of maps and tables are included. Ramsay's authoritative survey opened up the historical study of the geography and topography of Asia Minor in many disciplines. His work has been used widely by archaeologists, classicists, and New Testament scholars. Still not fully superseded, it remains a key text in historical geography.