Posidonios

Posidonios , born with Apamée in 135 av. J. - C., died with Rome in 51 av. J. - C., was a Greek philosopher stoical.

Biography

In its youth, having left Apamée, of passage to Athens, he became the disciple and the friend of Panétius, celebrates chief of the stoical school. Towards 95 av J.C it founded a school with Rhodos, of which he became citizen and exerting because of his great reputation a load with the Academy of this city. Its teaching was sufficiently famous to attract famous listeners such Cicéron and Pompée. Thereafter he travelled to Rome initially for an embassy towards 87 av J.C. Its close links of friendship with the leaders of Rome - of which Pumped - allowed him to travel in all the Roman empire. Thus it left in North Africa, in Spain, Sicily, and Gaulle to the estuary of the Gironde. It was one of those by which stoicism was Latinized. With his death after his return Rome towards 50 av J.C his/her small Jason son has became scolarque from his school in Rhodos. According to the testimony of Sénéque it had like disciple Asclépiodos, and Phanias.

Its work

Author of several treaties on the gods, the Physical heart, of the treaties of and Meteorology. It is a complete scientist: scientist, it impassions himself for measurement (length of the Méridien, height of the atmosphere, distance from the stars) and puts forth the assumption that the Marée S are related to lunar attraction.

In the field of the Astronomy, according to Cléomède in its movements of the celestial objects delivers II, Posidonios theorized the concept of a vital force of the Sun acting on the World. Moreover it tried to determine the distance between the Earth and the Moon. It attempted to specify the size of the Moon, like discovering the laws of the movement of 5 known planets, and the Sun.

According to the testimony of Cicéron ( of will natura deorum II - 88), it built a sphere in reduction reproducing the joint movements of planets of the solar system.

The discovery in a wreck of ship to broad of Anticythère of a astonishing object could bring an unexpected light on the sphere of Posidonios. On the one hand the excavation of this wreck revealed that the ship sank towards 88 av J.C., and on the other hand that its cargo of amphoras came from Rhodos. The object discovered in three fragments seems well the vestiges of a sphere similar to that built by Posidonios.

Recently, by analyzing these fragments, of the scientists discovered the Greek inscription chrysoun spheron , that is to say Sphère of gold . (see the site Antikythera Mechanism Research Project)

Historian, it takes again the account of Polybe of -145 with -86. Its History in 52 pounds mentioned beyond the events various considerations on the military mentalities and uses of the people, as well as a study of the emergence of the Roman capacity. The action of the men has its eyes was dictated by the springs of the ambiguity of human psychology Plutarque seems much to have drawn from this work to write its biography of Marius, like probably that of Pompée. In addition Trogue Pompée also seems to have followed it in its accounts on the Roman conquest of Spain.

Mathematician, it seeks to found the Géométrie like part of the Physique. Proclus in its comment of Euclide Book I, mentions the searchs for Posidonios on:

distinction between theorem and mathematical problem
a dichotomic process of division of the division of the quadrilateral
the definition of the parallel straight lines
the definition of the mathematical figures

Moreover Posidonios started a polemic with the epicurean Zénon of Sidon or it took the defense of the geometrical demonstration established by Euclide. According to Héron of Alexandria, it had established a definition of the center of gravity, as well as a defense of the Geometry like integral part of Physics.

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