Proclus: On the Sphere; Cleomedes: On the World; Aratus: Phenomena

The ancients declare that history is composed of four parts: the local, the factual, the chronological, and the genealogical. It is local, because the entire purpose of this book is a description of the places of the earth. It is factual, in that he records various other matters and sets forth the customs of nations. It is chronological, as when he mentions the time in which he himself flourished, noting that it was not under the consuls, but under the emperors original: "ἀνάκτων". It is genealogical, as when he says the Sauromatae a nomadic people of the Eurasian Steppe descended from the Amazons, and the Epizephyrian Locrians from slaves. These same ancients also praise the preface of the book for possessing the necessary virtues. They say that the virtues of a preface are scope, attention, and sympathy. The scope has as its end the preliminary statement of the purpose of the following discourse. Attention turns the listener and makes them fully present to the work. Sympathy invites the listeners toward forgiveness and kindness regarding the speaker. Thus, they say that Dionysius revealed the purpose of the book in the preface by saying, "I intend to sing of the earth, the mountains, and the sea," and he awakened attention in the listener—