Heaven and Earth in Ancient Greek Cosmology: From Thales to Heraclides Ponticus (Astrophysics and Space Science Library Book 374)

In Miletus, about 550 B.C., together with our world-picture cosmology was born. This book tells the story. In Part One the reader is introduced in the archaic world-picture of a flat earth with the cupola of the celestial vault onto which the celestial bodies are attached. One of the subjects treated in that context is the riddle of the tilted celestial axis. This part also contains an extensive chapter on archaic astronomical instruments. Part Two shows how Anaximander (610-547 B.C.) blew up this archaic world-picture and replaced it by a new one that is essentially still ours. He taught that the celestial bodies orbit at different distances and that the earth floats unsupported in space. This makes him the founding father of cosmology. Part Three discusses topics that completed the new picture described by Anaximander. Special attention is paid to the confrontation between Anaxagoras and Aristotle on the question whether the earth is flat or spherical, and on the battle between Aristotle and Heraclides Ponticus on the question whether the universe is finite or infinite. “In this book, Dirk L. Couprie presents his efforts at clarifying the views of the pioneers of theoretical cosmology. It covers the crucial period from about the middle of the sixth until the middle of the fourth century B.C., with its focus on the magnificent figure of Anaximander. The book by Dirk Couprie constitutes an important and in several respects indispensable contribution to this field.” Dmitri Panchenko St. Petersburg State University Cover 1 Astrophysics and Space Science Library 374 3 Heaven and Earth in Ancient Greek Cosmology 4 ISBN 9781441981158 5 Contents 8 List of Figures 10 List of Tables 16 Foreword 18 Preface and Acknowledgements 20 Introduction 22 Part I: Archaic Astronomy and the World-Picture of a Flat Earth 35 Chapter 1: The Archaic World Picture 37 Chapter 2: Archaic Astronomical Instruments 49 Chapter 3: How Thales Was Able to Predict the Solar Eclipse of 28 May 585 B.C. 85 Chapter 4: The Shape of the Earth According to Thales 97 Chapter 5: The Riddle of the Celestial Axis 103 Chapter 6: The First Map of the Earth 113 Part II: Anaximander and the Discovery of Space 121 Chapter 7: Anaximander: A Survey of His Ideas 123 Chapter 8: The Discovery of Space: Anaximander ́s Cosmology 133 The Celestial Bodies Make Full Circles Around the Earth 134 The Earth Floats Free in Space 138 The Celestial Bodies Lie Behind One Another 148 Chapter 9: Anaximander ́s Numbers: The Dimensions of the Universe 155 Chapter 10: The Visualization of Anaximander ́s World Picture 171 Chapter 11: Bellows or Lightning? A Curious Terminology Explained 179 Chapter 12: Critique of an Alleged Cosmic Architecture 187 Part III: The Completion of the New World-Picture and the Debate on the Shape of the Earth 195 Chapter 13: A Survey from Anaximander to Aristarchus 197 Chapter 14: With Fear for His Own Life: Anaxagoras as a Cosmologist 209 Chapter 15: The Sun at the Horizon, Anaxagoras ́ Proof of the Flatness of the Earth 215 Chapter 16: The Sun Is as Big as the Peloponnesus 223 Chapter 17: The Dodecahedron, or the Shape of the Earth According to Plato 235 Chapter 18: Fear of Falling: Aristotle on the Shape of the Earth 247 Chapter 19: Heraclides Ponticus and the Infinite Universe 255 Bibliography 265 Name Index 281 Index of Classical Authors 289 1441981152,9781441981158 Springer 2011 Front Matter....Pages i-xxxii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Archaic World Picture....Pages 3-14 Archaic Astronomical Instruments....Pages 15-49 How Thales Was Able to Predict the Solar Eclipse of 28 May 585 B.C.....Pages 51-62 The Shape of the Earth According to Thales....Pages 63-67 The Riddle of the Celestial Axis....Pages 69-78 The First Map of the Earth....Pages 79-86 Front Matter....Pages 87-87 Anaximander: A Survey of His Ideas....Pages 89-97 The Discovery of Space: Anaximander’s Cosmology....Pages 99-120 Anaximander’s Numbers: The Dimensions of the Universe....Pages 121-136 The Visualization of Anaximander’s World Picture....Pages 137-144 Bellows or Lightning? A Curious Terminology Explained....Pages 145-151 Critique of an Alleged Cosmic Architecture....Pages 153-160 Front Matter....Pages 161-161 A Survey from Anaximander to Aristarchus....Pages 163-174 With Fear for His Own Life: Anaxagoras as a Cosmologist....Pages 175-180 The Sun at the Horizon, Anaxagoras’ Proof of the Flatness of the Earth....Pages 181-188 The Sun Is as Big as the Peloponnesus....Pages 189-200 The Dodecahedron, or the Shape of the Earth According to Plato....Pages 201-212 Fear of Falling: Aristotle on the Shape of the Earth....Pages 213-220 Heraclides Ponticus and the Infinite Universe....Pages 221-230 Back Matter....Pages 231-261 Foreword / by Dmitri Panchenko Introduction Archaic astronomy and the world-picture of a flat earth. The archaic world picture ; Archaic astronomical instruments ; How Thales was able to predict the solar eclipse of 28 May 585 B.C. ; The shape of the earth according to Thales ; The riddle of the celestial axis ; The first map of the earth Anaximander and the discovery of space. Anaximander : a survey of his ideas ; The discovery of space : Anaximander's cosmology ; Anaximander's numbers : the dimensions of the universe ; The visualization of Anaximander's world picture ; Bellows or lightning? : A curious terminology explained ; Critique of an alleged cosmic architecture The completion of the new world-picture and the debate on the shape of the earth. A survey from Anaximander to Aristarchus ; With fear for his own life : Anaxagoras as a cosmologist ; The sun at the horizon, Anaxagoras' proof of the flatness of the earth ; The sun is as big as the Peloponnesus ; The dodecahedron, or the shape of the earth according to Plato ; Fear of falling : Aristotle on the shape of the earth ; Heraclides Ponticus and the infinite universe.