View source for Timeline of ancient Greek mathematicians

{{Short description|none}}
{{See also|List of Greek mathematicians}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}

This is a timeline of [[mathematicians]] in [[ancient Greece]]. 
{{history of Greece}}

==Timeline==
Historians traditionally place the beginning of [[Greek mathematics]] proper to the age of [[Thales of Miletus]] (ca. 624–548 BC), which is indicated by the {{font color|green|green line}} at 600&nbsp;BC.  The {{font color|orange|orange line}} at 300&nbsp;BC indicates the approximate year in which [[Euclid]]'s [[Euclid's Elements|''Elements'']] was first published.  The {{font color|red|red line}} at 300&nbsp;AD passes through [[Pappus of Alexandria]] ({{circa|290|350&nbsp;AD}}), who was one of the last great [[Greek mathematics|Greek mathematician]]s of [[late antiquity]].  Note that the solid thick {{font color|black|black line}} is at [[year zero]], which is a year that does ''not'' exist in the ''[[Anno Domini]]'' (AD) [[Gregorian calendar|calendar]] year system 



















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  bar:Thales                  from:-624 till:-548 color:yellow        text:"[[Thales of Miletus]]"
  bar:Anaximenes              from:-586 till:-526 color:yellow        text:"[[Anaximenes of Miletus|Anaximenes]]"
  bar:Pythagoras              from:-570 till:-495 color:yellow        text:"[[Pythagoras]]"
  bar:Hippasus                from:-530 till:-450 color:color669      text:"[[Hippasus]]"
  bar:Anaxagoras              from:-500 till:-428 color:pink          text:"[[Anaxagoras]]"
  bar:Zeno                    from:-495 till:-430 color:color363      text:"[[Zeno of Elea|Zeno]]"
  bar:Oenopides               from:-490 till:-420 color:color369      text:"[[Oenopides]]"
  bar:Antiphon                from:-480 till:-411 color:color369      text:"[[Sophistic works of Antiphon|Antiphon]]"
  bar:Hippocrates             from:-470 till:-410 color:orange        text:"[[Hippocrates of Chios|Hippocrates]]"
  bar:Theodorus               from:-465 till:-398 color:color360      text:"[[Theodorus of Cyrene|Theodorus]]"
  bar:Hippias                 from:-460 till:-400 color:color366      text:"[[Hippias]]"
  bar:Democritus              from:-460 till:-370 color:color963      text:"[[Democritus]]"
  bar:Bryson                  from:-450 till:-390 color:color390      text:"[[Bryson of Heraclea|Bryson]]"
  bar:Bion                    from:-430 till:-370 color:pink          text:"[[Bion of Abdera|Bion]]"
  bar:Archytas                from:-428 till:-347 color:drabgreen     text:"[[Archytas]]"
  bar:Plato                   from:-427 till:-347 color:drabgreen     text:"[[Plato]]"
  bar:Theaetetus              from:-417 till:-369 color:color393      text:"[[Theaetetus (mathematician)|Theaetetus]]"
  bar:Eudoxus                 from:-408 till:-355 color:yellow        text:"[[Eudoxus of Cnidus|Eudoxus]]"
  bar:Thymaridas              from:-400 till:-350 color:color696      text:"[[Thymaridas]]"
  bar:Hicetas                 from:-400 till:-335 color:color696      text:"[[Hicetas]]"
  bar:Xenocrates              from:-396 till:-314 color:color666      text:"[[Xenocrates]]"
  bar:Dinostratus             from:-390 till:-320 color:color663      text:"[[Dinostratus]]"
  bar:Aristotle               from:-384 till:-322 color:color663      text:"[[Aristotle]]"
  bar:Menaechmus              from:-380 till:-320 color:color660      text:"[[Menaechmus]]"
  bar:Aristaeus               from:-370 till:-300 color:color669      text:"[[Aristaeus the Elder]]"
  bar:Callippus               from:-370 till:-300 color:color363      text:"[[Callippus]]"
  bar:Autolycus               from:-360 till:-290 color:color669      text:"[[Autolycus of Pitane|Autolycus]]"
  bar:Polyaenus               from:-340 till:-285 color:color669      text:"[[Polyaenus of Lampsacus|Polyaenus]]"

  bar:Euclid                  from:-325 till:-265 color:yellow        text:"[[Euclid]]"
  bar:Aristarchus             from:-310 till:-230 color:color930      text:"[[Aristarchus of Samos|Aristarchus]]"
  bar:Archimedes              from:-287 till:-212 color:yellow        text:"[[Archimedes]]"

  bar:Chrysippus              from:-279 till:-206 color:color933      text:"[[Chrysippus]]"
  bar:Conon                   from:-280 till:-220 color:color963      text:"[[Conon of Samos|Conon]]"
  bar:Philon                  from:-280 till:-220 color:color660      text:"[[Philon]]"
  bar:Eratosthenes            from:-276 till:-194 color:color960      text:"[[Eratosthenes]]"

  bar:Apollonius              from:-262 till:-190 color:yellow        text:"[[Apollonius of Perga|Apollonius]]"
  bar:Dionysodorus            from:-250 till:-190 color:color969      text:"[[Dionysodorus]]"
  bar:Diocles                 from:-240 till:-180 color:color369      text:"[[Diocles (mathematician)|Diocles]]"
  bar:Zenodorus               from:-200 till:-140 color:color963      text:"[[Zenodorus (mathematician)|Zenodorus]]"
  bar:Hipparchus              from:-190 till:-120 color:color696      text:"[[Hipparchus]]"
  bar:Hypsicles               from:-190 till:-120 color:color996      text:"[[Hypsicles]]"
  bar:Perseus                 from:-180 till:-120 color:color360      text:"[[Perseus (geometer)|Perseus]]"
  bar:Theodosius              from:-169 till:-100 color:color363      text:"[[Theodosius of Bithynia|Theodosius]]"
  bar:Zeno_of_Sidon           from:-150 till:-75  color:color366      text:"[[Zeno of Sidon]]"
  bar:Posidonius              from:-135 till:-51  color:color393      text:"[[Posidonius]]"
  bar:Geminus                 from:-100 till:-30  color:color669      text:"[[Geminus]]"

  bar:Cleomedes               from:10   till:70   color:color396      text:"[[Cleomedes]]"
  bar:Heron                   from:10   till:70   color:color660      text:"[[Hero of Alexandria|Heron]]"
  bar:Nicomachus              from:60   till:120  color:color399      text:"[[Nicomachus]]"
  bar:Menelaus                from:70   till:140  color:color666      text:"[[Menelaus of Alexandria|Menelaus]]"
  bar:Theon_of_Smyrna         from:70   till:135  color:color663      text:"[[Theon of Smyrna]]"
  bar:Ptolemy                 from:100  till:170  color:color390      text:"[[Ptolemy]]"
  bar:Diophantus              from:207  till:291  color:yellow        text:"[[Diophantus]]"
  bar:Porphyry                from:234  till:305  color:color363      text:"[[Porphyry (philosopher)|Porphyry]]"
  bar:Sporus                  from:240  till:300  color:color969      text:"[[Sporus of Nicaea]]"

  bar:Pappus                  from:290  till:350  color:color369      text:"[[Pappus of Alexandria|Pappus]]"
  bar:Serenus                 from:300  till:360  color:color696      text:"[[Serenus of Antinoeia|Serenus]]"
  bar:Theon_of_Alexandria     from:335  till:405  color:color930      text:"[[Theon of Alexandria|Theon]]"
  bar:Hypatia                 from:360  till:415  color:color663      text:"[[Hypatia]]"
  bar:Proclus                 from:412  till:485  color:color933      text:"[[Proclus]]"
  bar:Domninus                from:420  till:480  color:color939      text:"[[Domninus of Larissa|Domninus]]"
  bar:Marinus                 from:450  till:500  color:color960      text:"[[Marinus of Neapolis|Marinus]]"
  bar:Anthemius               from:474  till:535  color:color963      text:"[[Anthemius of Tralles|Anthemius]]"
  bar:Boethius                from:477  till:524  color:color393      text:"[[Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius|Boethius]]"
  bar:Eutocius                from:480  till:540  color:color969      text:"[[Eutocius of Ascalon|Eutocius]]"
  bar:Simplicius              from:490  till:560  color:color690      text:"[[Simplicius of Cilicia|Simplicius]]"

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The mathematician [[Heliodorus of Larissa]] is not listed due to the uncertainty of when he lived, which was possibly during the 3rd century AD, after [[Ptolemy]]. Also not listed is the 1st century AD mathematician [[Dionysodorus of Amisene]] (not to be confused with [[Dionysodorus of Caunus]]), [[Pandrosion]] from the 4th century AD, [[Hermotimus of Colophon]] (born c. 325 BC), [[Metrodorus (grammarian)|Metrodorus]] from likely the 6th century AD (though he may have lived as early as the 3rd century AD), and [[Apollodorus Logisticus]] and [[Proclus of Laodicea]].

==Overview of the most important mathematicians and discoveries==

Of these mathematicians, those whose work stands out include: 

* '''[[Thales of Miletus]]''' ({{circa|624/623&nbsp;|548/545&nbsp;BC|lk=on}}) is the first known individual to use [[deductive reasoning]] applied to geometry, by deriving four corollaries to [[Thales' theorem]].<ref>{{citation
 | last1 = Boyer | first1 = Carl B. | author1-link = Carl Benjamin Boyer
 | last2 = Merzbach | first2 = Uta C. | author2-link = Uta Merzbach
 | edition = 3rd
 | isbn = 978-0-470-52548-7
 | location = Hoboken, New Jersey
 | page = 43
 | publisher = John Wiley & Sons
 | title = A History of Mathematics
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=V6RUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA43
 | year = 2011}}</ref>
* '''[[Pythagoras]]''' ({{circa|570|495&nbsp;BC|lk=on}}) was credited with many mathematical and scientific discoveries, including the [[Pythagorean theorem]], [[Pythagorean tuning]], the [[Platonic solid|five regular solids]], the [[Proportionality (mathematics)|Theory of Proportions]], the [[Spherical Earth|sphericity of the Earth]], and the identity of the [[Phosphorus (morning star)|morning]] and [[Hesperus|evening stars]] as the planet [[Venus]]. 
* '''[[Theaetetus (mathematician)|Theaetetus]]''' ({{circa|417|369&nbsp;BC|lk=on}}) Proved that there are ''exactly'' five [[Regular polyhedron|regular]] [[Convex set|convex]] [[polyhedron|polyhedra]] (it is emphasized that it was, in particular, ''proved'' that there does ''not exist'' any regular convex polyhedra other than these five). This fact led these five solids, now called the [[Platonic solid]]s, to play a prominent role in the philosophy of [[Plato]] (and consequently, also influenced later [[Western Philosophy]]) who associated each of the four [[classical element]]s with a regular solid: [[Earth (classical element)|earth]] with the [[cube]], [[Air (classical element)|air]] with the [[Regular octahedron|octahedron]], [[Water (classical element)|water]] with the [[Regular icosahedron|icosahedron]], and [[Fire (classical element)|fire]] with the [[Regular tetrahedron|tetrahedron]] (of the fifth Platonic solid, the [[Regular dodecahedron|dodecahedron]], Plato obscurely remarked, "...the god used [it] for arranging the constellations on the whole heaven"). The last book (Book XIII) of the [[Euclid's Elements|Euclid's ''Elements'']], which is probably derived from the work of Theaetetus, is devoted to constructing the Platonic solids and describing their properties; [[Andreas Speiser]] has advocated the view that the construction of the 5 regular solids is the chief goal of the deductive system canonized in the ''Elements''.{{sfn|Weyl|1952|p=74}} [[Astronomer]] [[Johannes Kepler]] proposed a model of the [[Solar System]] in which the five solids were set inside one another and separated by a series of inscribed and circumscribed spheres.
* '''[[Eudoxus of Cnidus]]''' ({{circa|408|355&nbsp;BC|lk=on}}) is considered by some to be the greatest of [[Classical Greece|classical Greek]] mathematicians, and in all [[Ancient Greece|antiquity]] second only to [[Archimedes]].<ref name=calinger>{{Cite book |last=Calinger |first=Ronald |title=Classics of Mathematics |publisher=Moore Publishing Company, Inc. |year=1982 |location=Oak Park, Illinois |page=75 |isbn=0-935610-13-8}}</ref> Book V of [[Euclid's Elements|Euclid's ''Elements'']] is thought to be largely due to Eudoxus.  
* '''[[Aristarchus of Samos]]''' ({{circa|310|230&nbsp;BC|lk=on}}) presented the first known [[Heliocentrism|heliocentric model]] that placed the [[Sun]] at the center of the known universe with the Earth revolving around it. Aristarchus identified the "central fire" with the Sun, and he put the other planets in their correct order of distance around the Sun.<ref>{{cite book|author-link=John William Draper|author=Draper, John William|chapter=History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science|editor=Joshi, S. T.|date=2007|orig-year=1874|title=The Agnostic Reader|pages=172–173|publisher=Prometheus|isbn=978-1-59102-533-7}}</ref> In ''[[On the Sizes and Distances (Aristarchus)|On the Sizes and Distances]]'', he calculates the sizes of the [[Sun]] and [[Moon]], as well as their distances from the Earth in terms of Earth's radius.  However, [[Eratosthenes]] ({{circa|276|194/195&nbsp;BC|lk=on}}) was the first person to calculate the circumference of the Earth.  [[Posidonius]] ({{circa|135|51&nbsp;BC|lk=on}}) also measured the diameters and distances of the Sun and the Moon as well as the Earth's diameter; his measurement of the diameter of the Sun was more accurate than Aristarchus', differing from the modern value by about half.  
* '''[[Euclid]]''' ([[floruit|fl.]] 300 BC) is often referred to as the "founder of [[geometry]]"<ref name="BrunoMathAndMathematicians">{{Cite book|title=Math and Mathematicians: The History of Math Discoveries Around the World|last=Bruno|first=Leonard C.|date=2003|orig-year=1999|publisher=U X L|others=Baker, Lawrence W.|isbn=978-0-7876-3813-9|location=Detroit, Mich.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun/page/125 125]|oclc=41497065|url=https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun/page/125}}</ref> or the "father of geometry" because of his incredibly influential [[treatise]] called the ''[[Euclid's Elements|Elements]]'', which was the first, or at least one of the first, axiomatized deductive systems. 
* '''[[Archimedes]]''' ({{circa|287|212{{nbsp}}BC}}) is considered to be the greatest mathematician of [[ancient history]], and one of the greatest of all time.<ref name="Henshaw2014">{{cite book|author=John M. Henshaw|title=An Equation for Every Occasion: Fifty-Two Formulas and Why They Matter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-0ljBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA68|page=68|date=10 September 2014|publisher=JHU Press|isbn=978-1-4214-1492-8|quote=Archimedes is on most lists of the greatest mathematicians of all time and is considered the greatest mathematician of antiquity.}}</ref><ref name="Jahnke">{{cite book|author=Hans Niels Jahnke|title=A History of Analysis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CVRZEXFVsZkC&pg=PA21|publisher=American Mathematical Soc.|isbn=978-0-8218-9050-9|page=21|quote=Archimedes was the greatest mathematician of antiquity and one of the greatest of all times}}</ref> Archimedes anticipated modern [[calculus]] and [[mathematical analysis|analysis]] by applying concepts of [[infinitesimal]]s and the [[method of exhaustion]] to derive and rigorously prove a range of [[geometry|geometrical]] [[theorem]]s, including: the [[area of a circle]]; the [[surface area]] and [[volume]] of a [[sphere]]; area of an [[ellipse]]; the area under a [[parabola]]; the volume of a segment of a [[paraboloid of revolution]]; the volume of a segment of a [[hyperboloid of revolution]]; and the area of a [[spiral]].<ref>{{cite web|title = A history of calculus |author1=O'Connor, J.J.  |author2=Robertson, E.F.|publisher = [[University of St Andrews]]| url = http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/The_rise_of_calculus.html |date=February 1996|access-date= 7 August 2007| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070715191704/http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/The_rise_of_calculus.html| archivedate= 15 July 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> He was also one of the first to [[Applied mathematics|apply mathematics]] to [[physical phenomena]], founding [[hydrostatics]] and [[statics]], including an explanation of the principle of the [[lever]]. In a lost work, he discovered and enumerated the 13 [[Archimedean solid]]s, which were later rediscovered by [[Johannes Kepler]] around 1620 A.D. 
* '''[[Apollonius of Perga]]''' ({{circa|240|190&nbsp;BC|lk=on}}) is known for his work on [[conic section]]s and his study of geometry in 3-dimensional space. He is considered one of the greatest ancient Greek mathematicians. 
* '''[[Hipparchus]]''' ({{circa|190|120&nbsp;BC|lk=on}}) is considered the founder of [[trigonometry]]<ref>{{cite book |title=From Eudoxus to Einstein: a history of mathematical astronomy |author=C. M. Linton |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2004 |isbn=978-0-521-82750-8 |page=52}}</ref> and also solved several problems of [[spherical trigonometry]].  He was the first whose quantitative and accurate models for the motion of the [[Sun]] and [[Moon]] survive.  In his work ''[[On Sizes and Distances (Hipparchus)|On Sizes and Distances]]'', he measured the apparent diameters of the Sun and Moon and their distances from Earth.  He is also reputed to have measured the [[Axial precession|Earth's precession]].  
* '''[[Diophantus]]''' ({{circa|201–215|285–299&nbsp;AD|lk=on}}) wrote ''[[Arithmetica]]'' which dealt with solving [[Diophantine equations]]

===Hellenic mathematicians===

The conquests of [[Alexander the Great]] around {{circa|330&nbsp;BC}} led to Greek culture being spread around much of the Mediterranean region, especially in [[Alexandria, Egypt]].  This is why the Hellenistic period of Greek mathematics is typically considered as beginning in the 4th century BC.  During the Hellenistic period, many people living in those parts of the [[Mediterranean region]] subject to Greek influence ended up adopting the Greek language and sometimes also Greek culture.  Consequently, some of the Greek mathematicians from this period may not have been "ethnically Greek" with respect to the modern [[Western culture|Western]] notion of [[ethnicity]], which is much more rigid than most other notions of ethnicity that existed in the Mediterranean region at the time.  [[Ptolemy]], for example, was said to have originated from [[Upper Egypt]], which is far South of [[Alexandria, Egypt]]. Regardless, their contemporaries considered them Greek.

==See also==
* {{annotated link|History of mathematics}}
** {{annotated link|History of calculus}}
** {{annotated link|History of geometry}}
* {{annotated link|Greek mathematics}}
** {{annotated link|List of Greek mathematicians}}
* {{annotated link|Relationship between mathematics and physics}}
* {{annotated link|Timeline of mathematics}}
** {{annotated link|Timeline of algebra}}
** {{annotated link|Timeline of calculus and mathematical analysis}}
** {{annotated link|Timeline of geometry}}
** {{annotated link|Timeline of mathematical logic}}

==References==

{{reflist}}

* {{cite book
| first      = Hermann
| last       = Weyl
| author-link = Hermann Weyl
| year       = 1952
| title      = Symmetry
| url      = https://archive.org/details/symmetry0000weyl
| url-access = registration
| publisher  = Princeton University Press
| location   = Princeton, NJ
| isbn        = 0-691-02374-3
}}

{{Ancient Greek mathematics}}

[[Category:Ancient Greek mathematicians|+]]
[[Category:History of geometry]]
[[Category:History of mathematics]]
[[Category:Mathematics timelines|Greek]]