Meton of Athens
Encyclopedia
Meton of Athens was a Greek
mathematician
, astronomer
, geometer, and engineer
who lived in Athens
in the 5th century BC. He is best known for calculations involving the eponymous 19-year Metonic cycle
which he introduced in 432 BC into the lunisolar
Attic calendar
.
The metonic calendar assumes that 19 solar years are equal to 235 lunar month
s, which is, in turn equal to 6940 days. This system was based on calculations made by Meton using his own observations of the winter solstice in 432 BC, and an observation made by Aristarchus
152 years earlier. Meton's observations were made in collaboration with Euctemon
about whom nothing else is known.
The Greek astronomer Callippus
continued the work of Meton, proposing the Callippic cycle
. The Callippic cycle is 76 years long -- approximately 4 times longer than the Metonic cycle, with one less solar day in the full cycle. Ironically, whereas the Metonic cycle overestimates the length of a solar year by 5 minutes, the Callippic cycle underestimates the length of a solar year by 11 minutes, and therefore produces results that are less accurate than those produced using the Metonic cycle.
The world's oldest known astronomical calculator, the Antikythera Mechanism
(2nd century BC), performs calculations based on both the Metonic, and Callipic calendar cycles, with separate dials for each.
The foundations of Meton's observatory in Athens are still visible just behind the podium of the Pnyx
, the ancient parliament. Meton found the dates of equinoxes and solstices by observing sunrise from his observatory. The bisectrice of the observatory lies in an easterly direction, between the Acropolis and the Lycabetus hill.
Meton appears briefly as a character in Aristophanes
' play The Birds
(414 BC). He comes on stage carrying surveying
instruments and is described as a geometer.
What little we know of Meton comes to us through ancient historians. According to Ptolemy
, a stella or table erected in Athens contained a record of Meton's observations, and a description of the Metonic cycle. None of Meton's works survive.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
, geometer, and engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who lived in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
in the 5th century BC. He is best known for calculations involving the eponymous 19-year Metonic cycle
Metonic cycle
In astronomy and calendar studies, the Metonic cycle or Enneadecaeteris is a period of very close to 19 years which is remarkable for being very nearly a common multiple of the solar year and the synodic month...
which he introduced in 432 BC into the lunisolar
Lunisolar calendar
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. If the solar year is defined as a tropical year then a lunisolar calendar will give an indication of the season; if it is taken as a sidereal year then the calendar will...
Attic calendar
Attic calendar
The Attic calendar is a hellenic calendar that was in use in ancient Attica, the ancestral territory of the Athenian polis. This article focuses on the 5th and 4th centuries BC, the classical period that produced some of the most significant works of ancient Greek literature. Because of the...
.
The metonic calendar assumes that 19 solar years are equal to 235 lunar month
Lunar month
In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two identical syzygies . There are many variations. In Middle-Eastern and European traditions, the month starts when the young crescent moon becomes first visible at evening after conjunction with the Sun one or two days before that evening...
s, which is, in turn equal to 6940 days. This system was based on calculations made by Meton using his own observations of the winter solstice in 432 BC, and an observation made by Aristarchus
Aristarchus
-People:* Aristarchus of Samos , Greek astronomer and mathematician* Aristarchus of Samothrace , Greek grammarian* Aristarchus of Tegea , Greek writer* Aristarchus of Thessalonica , Eastern saint...
152 years earlier. Meton's observations were made in collaboration with Euctemon
Euctemon
Euctemon was an Athenian astronomer. He was a contemporary of Meton and worked closely with this astronomer. Little is known of his work apart from his partnership with Meton and what is mentioned by Ptolemy...
about whom nothing else is known.
The Greek astronomer Callippus
Callippus
Callippus or Calippus was a Greek astronomer and mathematician.Callippus was born at Cyzicus, and studied under Eudoxus of Cnidus at the Academy of Plato. He also worked with Aristotle at the Lyceum, which means that he was active in Athens prior to Aristotle's death in 322...
continued the work of Meton, proposing the Callippic cycle
Callippic cycle
In astronomy and calendar studies, the Callippic cycle is a particular approximate common multiple of the year and the synodic month, that was proposed by Callippus in 330 BC...
. The Callippic cycle is 76 years long -- approximately 4 times longer than the Metonic cycle, with one less solar day in the full cycle. Ironically, whereas the Metonic cycle overestimates the length of a solar year by 5 minutes, the Callippic cycle underestimates the length of a solar year by 11 minutes, and therefore produces results that are less accurate than those produced using the Metonic cycle.
The world's oldest known astronomical calculator, the Antikythera Mechanism
Antikythera mechanism
The Antikythera mechanism is an ancient mechanical computer designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was recovered in 1900–1901 from the Antikythera wreck. Its significance and complexity were not understood until decades later. Its time of construction is now estimated between 150 and 100...
(2nd century BC), performs calculations based on both the Metonic, and Callipic calendar cycles, with separate dials for each.
The foundations of Meton's observatory in Athens are still visible just behind the podium of the Pnyx
Pnyx
The Pnyx is a hill in central Athens, the capital of Greece. It is located less than west of the Acropolis and 1.6 km south-west of the centre of modern Athens, Syntagma Square.-The site:...
, the ancient parliament. Meton found the dates of equinoxes and solstices by observing sunrise from his observatory. The bisectrice of the observatory lies in an easterly direction, between the Acropolis and the Lycabetus hill.
Meton appears briefly as a character in Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
' play The Birds
The Birds (play)
The Birds is a comedy by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed in 414 BCE at the City Dionysia where it won second prize. It has been acclaimed by modern critics as a perfectly realized fantasy remarkable for its mimicry of birds and for the gaiety of its songs...
(414 BC). He comes on stage carrying surveying
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
instruments and is described as a geometer.
What little we know of Meton comes to us through ancient historians. According to Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
, a stella or table erected in Athens contained a record of Meton's observations, and a description of the Metonic cycle. None of Meton's works survive.