Leonid Zhmud The Origin of the History of Science in Classical Antiquity

Parapegmastudien,
ABAW 19 (1941).
106
Arist.
SE 183b 17–32, transl. by W. Pickard-Cambridge.
107
Thus, he mentions the central position of the earth, the notion of the celestial sphere,
the order of planets, and the explanation of lunar eclipses (fr. 145–146). The dis-
covery of the earth’s spherical shape was attributed to Pythagoras and Parmenides
(D. L. VIII, 48 = Theophr. fr. 227e FHSG), the obliquity of the ecliptic to Pythagoras
and Oenopides (
Dox., 340.21). The independent movement of the planets is associ-
ated with Alcmaeon (
Dox., 345.19 = 24 A 4). The doxographical tradition on Thales’
discoveries in astronomy is unreliable (see above, 240 n. 50).

---

4. Anaxagoras. The Pythagoreans
255
by the fact that these treatises “usually conceal any connection with astronomi-
cal applications and numerical data”,
108
a feature most typical of deductive ge-
ometry. To be sure, the level of the axiomatization and demonstrativeness of the
astronomical treatises remained inferior to geometrical ones: to coordinate the
observed data and calculations with mathematical propositions and their de-
ductive proof turned out to be an arduous task indeed. In addition, unlike ge-
ometry, the exposition of an astronomical theory
more geometrico was not
backed by an age-long tradition of
Elements; one should recall that even Hip-
pocrates, the author of the first
Elements, relied heavily on Pythagorean mathe-
matics. There is little doubt, however, that the spherical geometry of Autolycus
and Euclid had precursors
109
– in form as well as content – and that the same
method of exposition was characteristic of Eudoxus’
On Velocities.
4. Anaxagoras. The Pythagoreans
Dercyllides–Theon states that Anaximenes was the first to discover the source
of the moon’s light and the causes of its eclipses (fr. 145). It has often been
noted that this apparently contradicts the fact that Anaximenes attributed a fiery
nature to all heavenly bodies including the moon (13A 7.4, 14).
110
Already Tan-
nery suggested that it is Anaxagoras who is meant here,
111
and this has never
been seriously contested since.
112
Unlike Anaximander, Anaximenes intro-
duced almost no new geometrical concepts, with one rather important excep-
tion: he ‘moved’ the stars to the outer place, beyond the moon, sun, and
planets.
113
The related evidence is found in Theophrastus; as for Eudemus, we
do not know whether he mentioned Anaximenes at all.
In regard to Anaxagoras, both his own words and reliable indirect tradition
attest that he indeed thought the moon received its light from the sun and of-
fered correct explanations for both lunar and solar eclipses.
114
Though the ex-
pression @llótrion fõ~ from Parmenides’ poem (28 B 14–15) was often
108
Neugebauer.
HAMA II, 748ff.
109
Heiberg, J. L.
Litterargeschichtliche Studien über Euklid, Leipzig 1882, 41ff.;
Hultsch, F. Autolykos und Euklid,
BSGW 38 (1886) 128–155; idem. Astronomie,
RE 2 (1896) 1842f.; Tannery. Géométrie, 133f.; idem. Recherches, 57f.; Björnbo.
Studien, 56ff.; Heath. History 1, 348f.; Mogenet, J. Autolycus de Pitane, Louvain
1950, 18f. Even Neugebauer did not deny it (
HAMA II, 750).
110
Bicknell, P. J. Anaximenes’ astronomy,
AcCl 12 (1969) 53–85; KRS, 156.
111
Tannery.
Science hellène, 157f.; idem. Recherches, 33 n. 4.
112
Heath.