Eratosthenes
Overview
This paper will tell you about the life of Eratosthenes; his life, death and everything that we know in between. He was a very diverse, multitalented thinker who was also known as the “father of geography” (Fashchuk 1).
The Life of Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes was born in 276 B.C. in Cyrene, Libya which is present day Shahhat, Libya on the northern coast of Africa. He died in 194 B.C. at about 82 years old in Alexandria, Egypt, which is the second largest city in Egypt (Trubin).The only mention of his father was of a man named Aglaos. This is the only mention of any of Eratosthenes’ family (Totten 1). Eratosthenes was a Greek scholar, librarian, poet, inventor, and mathematician (Eratosthenes).
Growing Up and Education
There is no information about Eratosthenes’ childhood or his life growing up. Callimachus is said to be a teacher of Eratosthenes but it is not likely that they spent a lot of time together until Eratosthenes came to Alexandria as a fully accomplished professional(Totten). Eratosthenes was appointed to succeed Apollonius of Rhodes as the head of the Library at Alexandria and also tutor Apollonius’ children (Eratosthenes).
Employment and Daily Life
Eratosthenes’ first job was when he succeeded Apollonius as head librarian of the library at Alexandria. He also tutored Ptolemy’s children, which was how he made his money to start out. There is no record of Eratosthenes being married or having any children. Science was Eratosthenes’ main job after being head of the library. His employment as head of the library and as a scientist were both very stable jobs and sources of income. Eratosthenes considered himself to be a “friend of learning” (Eratosthenes). Eratosthenes was a Greek scholar, lib...
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This is an example of the Sieve of Eratosthenes used to find prime numbers.
http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/76285/automation-static-array-for-the-sieve-of-eratosthenes
Works Cited
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Violatti, Christian. "Eratosthenes." Www.ancient.eu.com/eratosthenes. N.p., 5 Apr. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
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Rosenberg, Matt. "Eratosthenes - Biography of Eratosthenes." About.com Geography. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Trubin, Julian. "Eratosthenes: The Measurement of the Earth's Circumference." Eratosthenes: The Measurement of the Earth's Circumference. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D. in 4 Volumes. Volume 1.Attica and Cornith, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1918.
Pausanias and James George Frazer. Description of Greece. vol. (3 vols. available) History and Geography. London: Macmillan, 1898. E-copy.
After 3rd century BC, Eratosthenes calculation about Earth's circumference was used correctly in different locations such as Alexandria and syene (Aswan now) by simple geometry and the shadows cast. Eratosthenes's results undertaken in 1ST century by Posidonius, were corroborated in Alexandria and Rhodes by the comparison between remarks is excellent.
According to legend, Euripides was born in Salamis on September 23 480 BCE, the day of the Persian War’s greatest naval battle. Other sources estimate that he was born as early as 485 BCE. His family is believed to be wealthy and influential. Euripides began to question his religion at a young age because of his exposure to famous thinkers, like Socrates and Protagoras. These important men might have influenced Euripides way of thinking, which caused him choose to write about certain issues for his works.
4) Ellis, Edward S., and Charles F. Horne. ?History of Athens Greece.? The Story of the Greatest Nations and the World?s Greatest Events, Vol. 1. 12 Dec. 2003
In about 535 BC Pythagoras traveled to Egypt, a few years before Polycrates took over his home town of Samos. While in Egypt Pythagoras visited many temples and entered into the priesthood at Diopolis. Pythagoras would use the customs that he learned at Diopolis in the founding of his philosophical society. Till the day he died he would practice the secrecy of Egyptian priests and strive for purity.
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Aeschylus was the first of the tragedy writers. He took the theaters origins and focused less on reciting patterns, dealing more with the presentation of action. Born under tyranny, he grew up during the period in which the Persian empire was attempting to conquer Athens. Aeschylus was born in 525 B.C. His youth was most likely spent in the city of Pallene with his father, Euphorion, and his brother. It was a repressive time, under the rule of Peisis...
Empedocles was born in Acragas, Sicily about 492 BCE to a distinguished and aristocratic family. His father, Meto, is believed to have been involved in overthrowing Thrasydaeus who was the tyrant of Agrigentum in the year 470 BCE. Empedocles is said to have been somewhat wealthy and was a popular politician and a champion of democracy and equality.
Born in Athens, Socrates (470-399 BCE) was the son of a wealthy sculptor. There he received the regular elementary education in literature, music, and gymnastics. Initially Socrates followed the craft of his father; he executed a statue group of the three Graces, which stood at the entrance to the Acropolis until the second century AD. During the Pelopennesian war he served as an infantryman. Since Socrates preferred conversation to writing, he left no writings himself, in order to study him we must look at what his students and others have written about him.
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Information about lifes of Sophocles and Euripides are very limited and hard to verify. However, many sources match about following information about their biographies. Sophocles was born at 497 or 496 BCE in Colonus Hippius, now a part of Athens. His father was a wealthy merchant and weapon producer and an important figure in their society. So, Sophocles had the opportunity of taking the traditional aristocratic education and studying art in his early age which was a pr...
Quest.nasa.gov, (2014). NASA Quest > Aerospace Team Online. [online] Available at: http://quest.nasa.gov/aero/planetary/archimedes.html [Accessed 28 Nov. 2014].
Parmenides was a Pre-Socratic philosopher who lived from 515-445 B.C. He was born in Elea (now Velia), a Greek city in southern Italy. His city was at the far end of the known world on the other side of Greece where Heraclitus and the Ionians lived. He escaped his town to study in Athens, the center of the known world. Most likely he was a student of Anaximander and was also influenced greatly by the teachings of Pythagoras. Parmenides joined the religious and philosophical following of Pythagoras in Crotona.