Meton

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Meton ( Greek Μέτων Métōn ) was an ancient Greek astronomer . He lived in the fifth century BC. In Athens . The term Meton cycle goes back to his name .

origin

Meton, the son of Pausanias, is commonly referred to as an Athenian. Claudius Aelianus says, however, that he is a Laconian , as the Spartans were also called. His father's name Pausanias was also originally a Spartan name. In the comedy The Birds by Aristophanes , a contemporary of Meton, Pisthetairos says to him: Here, as in Sparta, the strangers are driven out! Many have already been disposed of, and it's raining beatings in the city! This supports Aelian's statement, especially since Athens was at war with Sparta at the time.

Meton's work

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Meton was a student of Phaeinos of Athens . No records of Meton himself have survived. He was considered one of the first astronomers in ancient Greece. He is permanently remembered by the terms Meton year, Meton period and Meton cycle . On the Pnyx he erected a sundial, also called heliotropion, of which the foundations are believed to be right next to the altar of Zeus Agoraios.

In modern historical literature, the Meton cycle is 19 years or 6,940 days. This is required an indirect determination of the length of the solar year, the Meton to on by him on the hill Kolonos Agoraios near the Athenian Agora built Parapegma to provide basic information about the weather in regions dependent on the solar year seasons. He chose the summer solstice of 432 BC as the start of such a 19-year period. BC, which he observed together with Euktemon on the 13th Skirophorion (June 22nd) of this year. The connection that 19 solar years are approximately the same length as 235 synodic months was known to the Babylonians and has been used by them since the 5th century BC. Chr. For the intercalation of their civil lunisolar calendar used. Meton and Euktemon probably knew about it, but did not need to use it because they did not want to set up a new lunisolar calendar (among other things, no new real lunar month began together with the first Meton cycle on the day of the summer solstice in 432 BC). This equality of the period durations of integer multiples of two orbital movements among themselves and with an integer number of days was demonstrably consistently used as a prototype for later applications (for example in the Easter calculation ) in the Seleucid era for the intercalation of a lunisolar calendar.

The custom of calling the period of 19 years used by Meton a cycle is misleading. Its correct name would be Meton's period. On the other hand, it is correct to describe the sequence of the sun and moon recurring every 19 years in front of the same stars as the Meton cycle.

Further traditions

In the year 415 BC BC Meton's son was to take part in the expedition to Sicily . Since Meton foresaw that this would be a disaster - some claimed that he had recognized this from an unfavorable star constellation - he tried to prevent his son's participation. So he set fire to his own house and pretended to be mad. Now, because of his great misfortune, he asked to release his son from military service and was finally successful.

In the comedy Die Vögel , which was first played as a play in 414 BC. Meton appears as a “geometer” and does absurd things, including trying to square the circle . But it would be risky to infer Meton's real mathematical interests from this burlesque.

The moon crater Meton was named after the ancient scientist .

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Claudius Aelianus, Varia historia 10.7.
  2. ↑ Aristophanes, The Birds , 2nd scene
  3. ↑ Theophrastus of Eresus , About the Weather 4.
  4. ↑ Ammianus Marcellinus , Res gestae 26,18.
  5. ↑ Philochorus , Schol. ad Aristophanem Av 997.
  6. ^ Otto Neugebauer : A History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomie , Springer, 1975, p. 623
  7. ↑ Columella , De re rustica 18.8.
  8. ↑ Diodor, Bibliothéke historiké 12,36,1 ; Ptolemy , Almagest III, I.
  9. ^ A b Otto Neugebauer : A History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomie , Springer, 1975, p. 622.
  10. ^ Otto Neugebauer : A History of Ancient Mathematical Astronomie , Springer, 1975, pp. 355, 1065.
  11. ↑ Claudius Aelianus, Varia historia 13.12; Plutarch , Alkibiades 17.4; Plutarch , Nicias 13.5.
  12. ↑ Gerald J. Toomer: Meton. In: Dictionary of Scientific Biography , Volume 9, New York 1981, pp. 337-340, here: 339.
personal data
SURNAME Meton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Meton of Athens; Μέτων ο Ἀθηναῖος (Greek)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek mathematician, astronomer, geometer and engineer
DATE OF BIRTH 5th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH after 415 BC Chr.