This encyclopaedia, compiled around 530 AD,isessentially the Byzantine Encyclopaedia Britannica of the ancient world. It lists some 3,600 names of places, mountains, lakes, rivers, waters, and peoples, explaining their origins and derivations.The foundation myths and wealth of cultural historical information contained in it make it a source text for polis research; in addition, it is a treasure trove of quotations andliterary fragments.