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Early Greek Efforts to Grasp Celestial Movements

Introduction

From the discovery of Sirius by Egyptian farmers heralding the annual Nile flood to civilizations around the Mediterranean, ancient societies sought to understand celestial movements as a crucial guide for earthly activities. Observing lunar phases and daylength variations served as essential indicators for planting, harvesting, sailing safety, and managing livestock. Millennia of observations later, we now take for granted the intricate details requiring inventiveness in both observation tools and recording systems. The ancient Greeks faced similar challenges, blending native technology Ionian Revolution, inquiry, and insights from neighboring civilizations like Egypt and Babylonia. Transitioning from a supernatural worldview to one grounded in elements, mathematics, and physical laws, the Greeks embarked on explaining the ever-changing sky. This paper surveys the Greek

Navigating the Skies with Thales of Miletus

Introduction

In the early migrations around 11th century BCE, many Greeks settled along the Turkish coast, engaging in cultural exchanges with neighboring civilizations like the Lydians and Persians. This mingling, detailed by Herodotus (Hdt.1.142) and Strabo (14.1.7), laid the groundwork for the Ionian Revolution. Ionian scholars, connected with both western relatives and maritime cultures such as Egypt, initiated a transformative shift in their understanding of the cosmos. By the sixth century BCE Celestial Views in Ancient Greece, they explored the idea that the universe operated on physical, mechanical principles rather than relying solely on divine whims.

Thales of Miletus (c. 585 BCE): Pioneer in Astronomy

Thales, often hailed as the first philosopher, contributed significantly to early Greek astronomy. While sources about him are limited, he gained f

Insights from Homer and Hesiod

Introduction

Homer, renowned for his epic tales of war and long journeys, provides subtle glimpses into the Greek understanding of the universe. Describing the heavens as a solid inverted bowl, he envisions aether, a radiant expanse beyond the cloud-laden air. Homer details the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, positioning Hades beneath the earth’s surface, where sunlight cannot reach. Hesiod, a poet closely tied to practical astronomy, delves deeper into these popular beliefs, linking seasons to solstices, stars, and the sun’s winter migration southward.

Homer’s Universe

Homer envisions the sky as an inverted bowl (Od. 15.329 sideron ouranon) above the earth. A radiant aether gleams beyond the cloud-bearing air Deciphering Cosmos, extending like a fir-tree through the air to reach aither (Il. 14.288). Homer tracks the movements of celestial bodies, noting the s