Abstract:Askèsis is a key word within Strabo’s Geography, in the measure in which it is strictly linked to the main subject of the work : land conceived as oikoumenè (the inhabited and known world). All Strabo’s askèseis are practices marking the identity of a collective subject and implying a progressive change. It is the change of civilization, by means of which a simple place becomes a happily inhabited place. In Strabo’s Geography one may recover the textual tradition of askèsis and its meanings within pagan culture up to the beginning of the first century A.D. However, in Strabo’s texts, the main influence on the semantic field of askèsis is exerted by ethical philosophy. From this perspective, Strabo’s main source is Aristotle, who has linked the notion of askèsis to practical thought concerning human actions and their goal, i.e. happiness.
