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Astronomy as a science began with the Ionian philosophers, with whom Greek philosophy and mathematics also began. While the Egyptians and Babylonians had accomplished much of astronomical worth, it remained for the unrivalled speculative genius of the Greeks, in particular, their mathematical genius, to lay the foundations of the true science of astronomy. In this classic study, a noted scholar discusses in lucid detail the specific advances made by the Greeks, many of whose ideas anticipated the discoveries of modern astronomy.
Pythagoras, born at Samos about 572 B.C., was probably the first to hold that the earth is spherical in shape, while his later followers anticipated Copernicus with the then-startling hypothesis that the earth was not the center of the universe but a planet like the others. Heraclides of Pontus (c. 388–315 B.C.), a pupil of Plato, declared that the apparent daily rotation of the heavenly bodies is due, not to a rotation of the heavenly sphere about an axis through the center of the earth, but to the rotation of the earth itself around its own axis. Secondly, Heraclides discovered that Venus and Mercury revolve around the sun like satellites. Perhaps the greatest astronomer of antiquity was Hipparchus, who flourished between 161 and 126 B.C. He compiled a catalog of fixed stars to the number 850 or more, made great improvements in the instruments used for astronomical observations, and discovered the precession of the equinoxes, among other accomplishments. The astronomy of Hipparchus takes its definitive form in the Syntaxis (commonly called the Almagest) of Ptolemy, written about A.D. 150, which held the field until the time of Copernicus.
The extraordinary achievements of these and many more Greek theorists are given full coverage in this erudite account, which blends exceptional clarity with a readable style to produce a work that is not only indispensable for astronomers and historians of science but easily accessible to science-minded lay readers.
- Sales Rank: #128387 in Books
- Published on: 1991
- Released on: 2011-10-05
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.50" h x .54" w x 5.51" l, .59 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 256 pages
About the Author
Thomas Little Heath: Bringing the Past to Life
Thomas Little Heath (1861–1940) was unusual for an authority on many esoteric, and many less esoteric, subjects in the history of mathematics in that he was never a university professor. The son of an English farmer from Lincolnshire, Heath demonstrated his academic gifts at a young age; studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1879 to 1882; came away with numerous awards; and obtained the top grade in the 1884 English Civil Service examination. From that foundation, he went to work in the English Treasury, rose through the ranks, and by 1913, was permanent secretary to the Treasury, effectively the head of its operations. He left that post in 1919 at the end of the first World War, worked several years at the National Debt office, and retired in 1926.
During all of that time, however, he became independently one of the world's leading authorities on the history of mathematics, especially on the history of ancient Greek mathematics. Heath's three-volume edition of Euclid is still the standard, it is generally accepted that it is primarily through Heath's great work on Archimedes that the accomplishments of Archimedes are known as well as they are.
Dover has reprinted these and other books by Heath, preserving over several decades a unique legacy in the history of mathematical scholarship.
In the Author's Own Words:
"The works of Archimedes are without exception, monuments of mathematical exposition; the gradual revelation of the plan of attack, the masterly ordering of the propositions, the stern elimination of everything not immediately relevant to the purpose, the finish of the whole, are so impressive in their perfection as to create a feeling akin to awe in the mind of the reader." — Thomas L. Heath
Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
Invaluable
By Marguerite Abaddonais
If you really love the history of astronomy, (and you're interested in the Greeks) then this book is perfect. It is a collection of what Greek authors ACTUALLY said. All the big names are in here. Even Philolaus is in here. It's just wonderful. There is a little introduction to each astronomer and then it's on to what they wrote. I find it invaluable.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Astronomy was not the ancient Greeks' best subject
By Alan U. Kennington
Having been truly astonished by the towering mathematical achievements of the ancient Greeks, as translated in many books by Heath, I was equally astonished by how weak the ancient Greeks were in astronomy. Probably more than half of the extracts from ancient works in this book are pure waffle.
It seems that the ancient Greeks, from about 850 to 150 BC, gave the world the first alphabet, mathematical proofs, history, philosophy, democracy, politics, the olympic games, gymnasiums, university education, coins, wages, mercenary armies, jury trials, literacy (about 50%), book-shops, and civilisation itself. What they didn't do well at was astronomy, physics and chemistry, as far as I can tell. But this introductory essay by Heath, and the numerous quotations and fragments, left me scratching my head, trying to think why they could be so weak in a subject which is, on the face of it, amenable to logical, rational analysis.
There are some clues in this book to the reasons for the dismal failure of Greek Astronomy. There is a quote on pages 28-29 from Plutarch about Anaxagoras, saying this:
"For Anaxagoras, who was the first to put in writing, most clearly and most courageously of all men, the explanation of the moon's illumination and darkness, did not belong to ancient times, and even his account was not common property, but was still a secret, current only among a few, and received by them with caution, or simply on trust. For in those days they refused to tolerate the natural philosophers and star-gazers, as they were then called, who presumed to fritter away the deity into unreasoning causes, blind forces, and necessary properties. Thus Protogoras was exiled, and Anaxagoras was imprisoned, and with difficulty saved by Pericles."
There are several other quotations which suggest a similar danger in publishing rational astronomy ideas which contradicted religion. Plato, pages 40-42, wrote that knowledge can not be obtained from observation, but must rather be determined by thinking about it. The writings of Aristotle were complete twaddle, and this book contains some prime examples of Aristotle's twaddle-thinking. The fact that Aristotle's views on astronomy were enforced throughout the Dark Ages until Copernicus, Galileo and others put a stop to it, is the reason why science was held back for more than 1600 years. The Geminus quote on pages 123-125 strongly argues that astronomers should keep their noses out of physics and not try to step into the territory of philosophers.
So I can highly recommend this book to see how the ancient Greeks totally failed in astronomy. They didn't even know as much as the earlier Mesopotamians and Egyptians. Luckily the book is short, so the pain is mercifully brief.
18 of 57 people found the following review helpful.
A doxography
By Gary Thomas
I had to look up "Doxography" in the Oxford English Dictionary - it is a collection of philosophical opinions. The book "Greek Astronomy" is a Dover reprint of a book written in 1932. It consists of a long (57 pages) introduction followed by a great many quotes (rendered into English) from ancient Greek authors. The selection emphasizes general questions, such as "Does the Earth move?" - according to Ptolemy it does not. Perhaps useful as a souce book. But then again, perhaps not.
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