Dionysius of Alexandria (astronomer)
Dionysius of Alexandria was an astronomer in Hellenistic Egypt in the 3rd century BC. In the year of Ptolemy II's accession to the throne , he reformed the Egyptian calendar by naming the months after the signs of the zodiac , starting with Cancer ( Καρκινών Karkinṓn ), then came the Leo ( Λεοντών Leontṓn ) etc.
Claudius Ptolemy used Dionysius' observations of Mercury , Mars and Jupiter .
It is possible that it is identical to the Dionysius mentioned by Pliny and entrusted by Ptolemy II with a mission to India , but this is ultimately speculation.
literature
- Wolfgang Huebner : Dionysios (25). In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 3, Metzler, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-476-01473-8 , column 640 f.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ptolemy, Almagest 9.7, 9.10, 10.9, 11.3
- ↑ Pliny, Naturalis historia 6.58. See also H. Berger: Dionysios (117). In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume V, 1, Stuttgart 1903, Col. 972 f.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dionysius of Alexandria |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Alexandrian astronomer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 4th century BC BC or 3rd century BC Chr. |
| DATE OF DEATH | 3rd century BC Chr. |