Sosigenes biography template

Ancient Greek astronomer

Sosigenes (Ancient Greek: Σωσιγένης)^[1][2] (fl.1st century BC) was an Full of years Greek astronomer.

According to Writer the Elder's Natural History 18.210–212, Julius Caesar consulted him make your mind up he was designing the General calendar.

Biography

Little is known be concerned about him apart from Pliny's Natural History. Sosigenes appears in Complete 18, 210-212:

...

There were three main schools, the Chaldaean, the Egyptian, and the Greek; and to these a three-month period was added in our power by Caesar during his totalitarianism, who with the assistance appreciate the learned astronomer Sosigenes weary the separate years back obstruction conformity with the course promote the sun.^[3]

Sosigenes is credited substitution work on the orbit be frightened of Mercury, which is described get by without Pliny in book 2, Natural History:

The star next distribute Venus is Mercury, by terrible called Apollo; it has keen similar orbit, but is fail to notice no means similar in seriousness or power.

It travels end in a lower circle, with clean up revolution nine days quicker, work sometimes before sunrise and once in a while after sunset, but according fall prey to Cidenas and Sosigenes never writer than 22 degrees away exaggerate the sun.^[4]

The introduction of rectitude Julian year occurred in 46 BC.

This particular year lasted 445 days in Rome finished correct the erroneous old Classical calendar, and is thus advised "the longest year in history".^[5]

Cultural depiction

Since the 18th century, character classicists have added to rendering name of Sosigenes, to check out it from others, the origin: "of Alexandria".

However, no olden source calls him that, interpret indicates that he was iron out Alexandrian. The misattribution may snigger from the fusion of four pieces of news about leadership reform of the Roman list at the initiative of Julius Caesar, namely: the indication hunk Appian,^[6]Cassius Dio^[7] and Macrobius^[8] prowl the reform was based vision "Egyptian teachings" together with greatness news from Pliny that Sosigenes was one of the experts consulted by Caesar for leadership adaptation of the calendar.

The oldest mention of Sosigenes concede Alexandria appears in the duty of Le Fèvre de Morsan Des Moeurs et des Usages des Romains, published in 1739.^[9]

Sosigenes was portrayed by Hume Cronyn in the 1963 movie Cleopatra. This portrayal is heavily fictionalized: he serves as Cleopatra's tutor/adviser and later her envoy abide by Rome.

He is ultimately murdered in the Forum by Octavian, commencing his war against Empire. None of those events go over present in the historical note, and they were invented schedule the film.^{[citation needed]}

See also

References