In 44 C.E., Pomponius Mela published a description of the lands that surround the Mediterranean Sea and what is now known to be the Atlantic coast of Western Europe. At times, he lists the sources of his information, but nevertheless is frequently vague or completely inaccurate. Such was the nature of Roman geography and the perpetual incentive for continued exploration.

The following excerpt from his work describes the waters and coasts of the Caspian Sea, which he erroneously believed was connected to the north Atlantic. The anxieties felt by his readers for the dangers of faraway places are obvious.

The Caspian Sea first breaks into the land like a river, with a strait as small as it is long, and after it has entered by its straight channel, the sea is diffused into three bays. Opposite its very mouth, it passes into...