Welcome to my geography and timeline review for Season 4. As always, this is my attempt to bring some continuity to this season’s episodes, trying to figure out where they took place and in the best possible order to make the whole thing flow better. As I’ve said before (in Season 1, Season 2, and Season 3) none of this minutiae really matters all that much (and my reasoning could be completely off), but I’m a continuity nerd, so I have to at least try. This season has a fair number of geographical references, but a lot of the places mentioned are apparently made up, which makes it harder to place them geographically (although if they’re fictional, they could technically be placed anywhere, so that makes things easier). As I said last year, if you’re not as enamoured of this sort of thing as I am, feel free to skip this post. My first review for Season 5 will be up next Wednesday as always.
I’m sticking to the same format as last time, taking the episodes in the order they aired. I won’t link to individual episodes, since they’re easy to access through my Tag Cloud under “Xena Season 4”. At the end of the post,
I’ll suggest a possible viewing order that might make things flow better, but it’s just my opinion and others might have a more logical viewing order. I definitely think this season’s episodes need to be re-arranged to make things flow better, but if you disagree, let me know in the Comments. As usual, I believe Xena and Gabi are having plenty of unrecorded adventures (and training sessions, and personal time) in between episodes, so they technically have time to travel wherever they want, if we assume the travelling is mostly done off-screen and between episodes. You can click on the maps for a larger view (CTRL click to open them in a new window or tab) and thanks again to getdrawings.com (which doesn’t seem to be up anymore) for my Greece outline map, and to d-maps.com for the other maps.
1. Adventures in the Sin Trade: Obviously, the first three episodes have to stay in the aired order because they deal with Xena finding Gabi again. The first two are usually thought to occur in Siberia, but I’ve seen speculation (at Whoosh) that they could take place in Central Asia, which makes more
sense to me. Xena crosses deserts, hills, steppes, and forests to get to the Amazons and all of those can be found in Central Asia. I’d say the Amazons are probably based in modern-day Kazakhstan, south or west of Lake Balkhash; that region contains a mixture hills, forests, and volcanic mountains that resembles what we see near the Amazons. It could be set farther west, near the Aral or Caspian Seas, but I think that land is drier and wouldn’t contain the vast forests we see in this episode. In Season Five, Xena tells the Amazons they’re going east to Chin, which suggests they must be in Central Asia, not Siberia. And Central Asian tribes do have a long history of shamanism, so that fits too.
2. Adventures in the Sin Trade Part II: The same reasoning applies to this episode as to the one above.
3. A Family Affair: In last season’s geography post, I speculated that the volcano Gabi fell into in Sacrifice II might be Sousaki, near Corinth. If that’s 
the case, then this episode starts there but quickly moves to Poteidaia, Gabi’s hometown. It’s a little strange that Xena never stopped in Poteidaia on her way to or from the Amazons, but I suppose on the way there she was too full of grief and on the way back, too full of joy (and she might’ve returned by a different route, which would explain why she didn’t pick up Argo).
4. In Sickness and in Hell: Xena does retrieve Argo in this episode, so I think it should come right after the previous one (especially since Joxer shows up
again). The village that’s being attacked isn’t named, but the attackers are Scythians. In real life, Scythian territory was north of the Black Sea, but there was a region along the west coast of the Black Sea called Scythia Minor. Xena might’ve left Argo somewhere along the Black Sea coast before heading north and east to see the Amazons. Gabi says the region is where Xena first met Argo, but that’s a story that’s never been told.
5. A Good Day: The village here isn’t named, but in real life Caesar and Pompey’s forces did fight a momentous battle at (or near) Pharsalos, which
is in Central Greece. There’s no reason why this couldn’t be set in that vicinity, with Phlanagus’s village being close to Pharsalos. I think this episode could move back a bit in the viewing order; maybe Gabi’s trauma here is what prompts her to travel so widely to find her life’s purpose. If we move Daughter of Pomira and Locked Up and Tied Down ahead of this one, it would fit if we assume Xena and Gabi heard about the Romans coming to Greece and were scouting possible invasion routes to the north and west.
6. A Tale of Two Muses: This obviously takes place in the desert and Autolycus says it took him three days to get there from Oman. That suggests
Palios must be right across the Strait of Hormuz, probably close to the city of Hormuz. There was a caravan trail that went through Hormuz, so maybe Xena and Gabi were following that. As for order, this episode fits best between Crusader (set in Phoenicia) and the India episodes. It wouldn’t make sense for Xena and Gabi to travel way east into the desert, turn around and go back to Greece for the next two episodes, and go east again for Crusader and the India arc. So the order the episodes aired in doesn’t make sense, from a geographical point of view.
7. Locked Up and Tied Down: This takes place in an unnamed village and quickly moves to Shark Island prison. Shark Island is fictional (although apparently there are sharks in the Mediterranean), but as I speculated above, Xena and Gabi could be scouting around looking for the invading Romans, which means they might be in Illyria or Epirus (likely routes for an army that’s hoping not to be noticed until it’s too late). I found a tiny uninhabited island along the west coast called Sazani (today part of Albania) which would fit the general area and the region is far enough out of the way that it makes sense Xena hasn’t been here since Thalassa’s death (which explains why the town hadn’t served their warrant on her before).
8. Crusader: This is said to take place in Phoenicia, with several (mostly fictional) towns mentioned. Tyre was a real place and we can speculate that Xena and Gabi might’ve landed there after taking a ship from Greece. I’m theorizing that Xena and Gabi head east from Phoenicia along the old Silk/Jade Route (for the next episode), then go southeast, following an offshoot of that trade road towards Hormuz (which I mentioned above). This episode should logically occur after Xena and Gabi leave Greece and before they’re in the desert, but the following episode has to come right after this one, since that’s where Xena tells Gabi about Alti’s vision.
9. Past Imperfect: It would be easy to assume this episode takes place in Greece, except it doesn’t make much sense for them to go all the way back there from Phoenicia (where Crusader is set) and then turn around and backtrack to go to India by way of the desert. So I think this episode should take place somewhere east of Phoenicia, maybe along the Silk Road. The village they’re defending is called Actus, but I couldn’t find it on any of my maps (nor Actys, Actis, Actos, or anything similar). Ecbatana was a stop on the Silk Road east of Phoenicia and it does have a vaguely similar sound to Actus, or maybe Actus was some small place that’s not on the maps. There are Roman soldiers there and Roman territory had expanded to the Middle East by this time, so that fits. And I always thought it made more sense for Satrina to use Xena’s tactics outside of Greece, since there’d be plenty of people in Greece who might remember the details of the Siege of Corinth.
10. Key to the Kingdom: This is said to take place in Thrasos, which I couldn’t find anywhere, but if Meg’s place is the same one from 
Warrior…Priestess…Tramp, it should be somewhere near Corinth. Gabi is absent in this one, so I wonder if she and Xena were preparing for their voyage to Phoenicia? Maybe Gabi was off negotiating for supplies (or passage) and that’s why she’s not seen here. As for Xena, I get the feeling Xena’s reputation (good or bad) is so great that word gets around whenever she’s in the vicinity. That would explain how Gryphia knew where to find her. (Maybe they were visiting with Diana at Lias’s castle?)
11. Daughter of Pomira: As I mentioned above, Xena and Gabi could’ve been scouting for the invading Romans, which would explain why they were close to Horde territory, and the northern route they had to take to get around them. The place where Vanessa’s parents live looks like a frontier outpost, which makes sense if it’s close to Horde territory. If we assume Xena and Gabi were looking for Caesar and Pompey’s armies, it makes sense to move this episode (and Locked Up and Tied Down) forward.
12. If the Shoe Fits … : There are a couple of place names mentioned here: the raiders talk about going east to Lumeria (although he seems to point west on the map) and Alecia’s parents are King and Queen of Cyra. I couldn’t find anything remotely resembling Lumeria, but I wonder if Cyra is actually Sirra, a town north of Amphipolis in the Strymon Valley? That would explain how Xena knows the King and his daughter (who she describes as old friends). Some fans think Sirra is Callisto’s hometown, but I still believe that’s Cirrha, near Delphi. As for where this episode falls in the viewing order, I think it should be pushed way forward to happen right after In Sickness and in Hell, since Joxer is still with them. It would make sense that they’d be near Amphipolis after retrieving Argo from the land around the Black Sea; maybe they stopped in to see Cyrene and let her know Gabi was okay.
13. Paradise Found: Most fans think this takes place in the Himalayas, but I think it’s more likely in the Hindu Kush mountains. Gabi says the
mountains are a holy place and the Hindu Kush do have sites associated with Buddhism. I’m guessing that after crossing the desert in Tale of Two Muses, Xena and Gabi headed north to Bactra (which sits on the Silk Road), not wanting to brave the Thar Desert. From Bactra, they went south through the Hindu Kush and into India. (See the Middle East map above.) Obviously, this episode takes place after Phoenicia and the desert, and the rest of the season’s episodes follow a more logical order than the first half did.
14. Devi: This takes place in India and has to precede the next two episodes because this is where they first meet Eli, and Gabi still has long hair.
15. Between the Lines: This takes place in India. It follows the previous
episode and precedes the next, since Gabi’s hair is cut short in this one.
16. The Way: The last of the India episodes; I assume Xena and Gabi are travelling around India, but there’s not much indication of where they might be. Indrajit’s palace is said to be in the demon-land of Lanka, but whether that means Sri Lanka, or somewhere else, I’m not sure.
17. The Play’s the Thing: This takes place in Piraeus, which is the port for Athens, a logical place for Xena and Gabi to be if they returned from India by ship. In real life, Piraeus was a port and there were long walls leading inland to Athens to protect cargo taken there after being unloaded, but it wasn’t known for its theatres. But in Xena’s world, there’s no reason why Piraeus couldn’t be a theatre town; ports are pretty cosmopolitan after all. (Gabi’s reference to the Great Appian Way makes no sense, since the Appian Way was a road in Italy. I assume it was meant to be a joking reference to Broadway in New York, which is called the Great White Way.) Joxer is
obviously surprised to see Gabi, so it makes sense that this would be the first episode after their return from India.
18. The Convert: This could take place anywhere in Greece, although the academy where they meet Marcus is said to be in Helios. I couldn’t find any towns by that name, but I did find one called Halus in Achaea Phthiotis … a region sometimes referred to as Hellas, which kinda sounds like Helios. It would fit, as Halus is about halfway between Athens (where last episode took place) and Amphipolis (where the next one happens). It also makes sense chronologically, as Joxer is with them for all three of these episodes.
19. Takes One to Know One: This takes place in Amphipolis and logically
comes after the two previous episodes and before the next two.
20. Endgame: This happens mostly in the Amazon village, which isn’t far from Amphipolis, so it fits with the previous episode.
21. The Ides of March: At the beginning of this one, Xena, Gabi, and Amarice are trying to find a ship to Athens to see Eli, so they’re probably in a port not
too far from the Amazons (Neapolis maybe?) Xena goes to Rome, but we can assume Gabi and Amarice actually did go to Athens and found Eli nearby. They were then taken to Mount Amaro, which is a real mountain in the Apennines, about 70 or 80 miles east of Rome. Xena rides from Rome to Mount Amaro where she and Gabi are crucified.
22. Déja Vu All Over Again: This takes place in the modern day (it aired in May of 1999 and Ares mentions Y2K, so that fits), which means it has no bearing on the other episodes. That goes for geography too, although the phone book Ares cuts in half looks like it says San Gabriel Valley, suggesting this takes place in California, east of Los Angeles.
So, if we take my speculations into account, we can come up with a somewhat different viewing order, with all of the changes in the first half of the season:
1. Adventures in the Sin Trade 12. A Tale of Two Muses
2. Adventures in the Sin Trade II 13. Paradise Found
3. A Family Affair 14. Devi
4. In Sickness and in Hell 15. Between the Lines
5. If the Shoe Fits … 16. The Way
6. Locked Up and Tied Down 17. The Play’s the Thing
7. Daughter of Pomira 18. The Convert
8. A Good Day 19. Takes One to Know One
9. Key to the Kingdom 20. Endgame
10. Crusader 21. The Ides of March
11. Past Imperfect 22. Déja Vu All Over Again
I think this order makes things flow a bit better from episode to episode. Locked Up and Tied Down could be switched with Daughter of Pomira (depending on what direction Xena and Gabi are going) and Good Day could even come before those two, but I put it after because I’m assuming Xena and Gabi are wandering around in Horde territory (and near Shark Island) because they’re looking for the Roman soldiers, who could come either by land or sea. As always, if you disagree with my hypotheses or have some suggestions for a different viewing order (or locations for the episodes) let me know in the comments. And join me next week for my first review of Season 5.