Pomponius Mela was born in the otherwise unknown Spanish town of Tingentera, situated probably near Gibraltar. Almost nothing is known about his life - neither the date of his birth nor that of his death (c. AD 45). The only certain date is that of the writing of his only known work, the Chorographia - AD 43/44, at the time when Britannia had just been conquered by Roman troops during the reign of Emperor Claudius.