Aristarchus of Samos: The Ancient Copernicus

Abstract

ARISTARCHUS, who flourished in the first half of the third century B.C., is chiefly known as the only philosopher or astronomer of antiquity who taught that the earth moves, round the sun. This doctrine is, however, not mentioned in the only writing of his which has been preserved, and the little we know about,it is derived from allusions to it made by subsequent writers. All the same, his little book, “On the Sizes and Distances of the Sun and Moon,” is of great importance, and Sir Thomas Heath's new and critical edition, accompanied by a translation, commentary, and notes, is therefore a most welcome addition to the literature of astronomical history.

Aristarchus of Samos: The Ancient Copernicus.

A History of Greek Astronomy to Aristarchus together with Aristarchus's Treatise on the Sizes and Distances of the Sun and Moon. A New Greek Text with Translation and Notes. By Sir Thomas Heath. Pp. viii + 425. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913.) Price 18s. net.