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ARCHYTAS (c. 428—347 B.C.)

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Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 446 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ARCHYTAS (c. 428—347 B.C.) , of See also:Tarentum, See also:Greek philosopher and scientist of the See also:Pythagorean school, famous as the intimate friend of See also:Plato, was the son of Mnesagoras or See also:Histiaeus. Equally distinguished in natural See also:science,See also:philosophy and the See also:administration of civic affairs, he takes a high See also:place among the versatile savants of the See also:ancient Greek See also:world. He was a See also:man of high See also:character and benevolent disposition, a See also:fine See also:flute-player, and a generous See also:master to his slaves, for whose See also:children he invented the rattle. He took a prominent See also:part in See also:state affairs, and, contrary to precedent, was seven times elected See also:commander of the See also:army. Under his leadership, Tarentum fought with unvarying success against the See also:Messapii, Lucania and even See also:Syracuse. After a See also:life of high intellectual achievement and uninterrupted public service, he was drowned (according to a tradition suggested by See also:Horace, Odes, i. 28) on a voyage across the Adriatic, and was buried, as we are told, at Matinum in See also:Apulia. He is described as the eighth See also:leader of the Pythagorean school, and was a See also:pupil (not the teacher, as some have maintained) of See also:Philolaus. In See also:mathematics, he was the first to draw up a methodical treatment of See also:mechanics with the aid of See also:geometry; he first distinguished See also:harmonic progression from arithmetical and geometrical progressions. As a geometer he is classed by Eudemus, the greatest ancient authority, among those who " have enriched the science with See also:original theorems, and given it a really See also:sound arrangement." He evolved an ingenious See also:solution of the duplication of the See also:cube, which shows considerable knowledge of the See also:generation of cylinders and cones. The theory of proportion, and the study of See also:acoustics and See also:music were considerably advanced by his investigations.

He was said to be the inventor of a See also:

kind of flying-See also:machine, a wooden See also:pigeon balanced by a See also:weight suspended from a See also:pulley, and set in See also:motion by compressed See also:air escaping from a See also:valve.' Fragments of his ethical and metaphysical writings are quoted by See also:Stobaeus, See also:Simplicius and others. To portions of these See also:Aristotle has been supposed to have been indebted for his See also:doctrine of the categories and some of his See also:chief ethical theories. It is, however, certain that these fragments are mainly forgeries, attributable to the See also:eclecticism of the 1st or 2nd See also:century A.D., of which the chief characteristic was a See also:desire to See also:father later doctrines on the old masters. Such fragments as seem to be See also:authentic are of small philosophical value. It is important to See also:notice that Archytas must have been famous as a philosopher, inasmuch as Aristotle wrote a See also:special See also:treatise (not extant) On the Philosophy of Archytas. Some See also:positive See also:idea of his speculations may be derived from two of his observations: the one in which he notices that the parts of animals and See also:plants are in See also:general rounded in See also:form, and the other dealing with the sense of See also:hearing, which, in virtue of its limited receptivity, he compares ' If this be the proper See also:translation of Aulus See also:Gellius, Noctes Atticae, X. 12..9," . . . simulacrum columbae e ligno . . factum; ita erat scilicet libramentis suspensum et See also:aura spiritus inclusa atque occulta concitum." (See See also:AERONAUTICS.)with vessels, which when filled can hold no more. Two important principles are illustrated by these thoughts, (I) that there is no See also:absolute distinction between the organic and the inorganic, and (2) that the See also:argument from final causes is no explanation of phenomena. Archytas may be quoted as an example of Plato's perfect ruler, the philosopher-See also:king, who combines See also:practical sagacity with high character and philosophic insight. See G.

Hartenstein, De See also:

Arch. See also:Tar. frag. (See also:Leipzig, 1833) ; O. F. Gruppe, Uber d. Frag. d. Arch. (184o); F. See also:Beckmann, De Pythag. reliq. (See also:Berlin, 1844, 1850) ; See also:Egger, De Arch. Tar. vit., op. Phil.

; Ed. See also:

Zeller, Phil. d. Griech. ; Theodor See also:Gomperz, Greek Thinkers, ii. 259 (Eng. trans. G. G. See also:Berry, Lond., 1905) ; G. J. See also:Allman, Greek Geometry from Tholes to See also:Euclid (1889); See also:Florian Cajori, See also:History of Mathematics (New See also:York, 1894) ; M. Cantor, Gesch. d. gr. Math.

(1894 See also:

fell.). The mathematical fragments are collected by Fr. See also:Blass, Melanges Graux (See also:Paris, 1884). For Pythagorean mathematics see further See also:PYTHAGORAS. _ ARCIS-SUR-See also:AUBE, a See also:town of eastern See also:France, See also:capital of an See also:arrondissement in the See also:department of Aube, on the See also:left See also:bank of the Aube, 23 M. N. of See also:Troyes on the Eastern railway to ChaIonssur-See also:Marne. Pop. (1906) 2803. Fires in 1719, 1727 and 1814 destroyed the ancient buildings, and it is now a town built in See also:modern See also:style with wide and See also:regular streets. A See also:chateau of the 18th century occupies the site of an older one in which See also:Diana of See also:Poitiers, See also:mistress of See also:Henry II., resided. The only other See also:building of See also:interest is the See also:church, which See also:dates from the i5th century. In front of it there is a statue of See also:Danton, a native of the town.

Arcis-sur-Aube has a tribunal of first instance. Its See also:

industries include -important See also:hosiery manufactures, and it carries on See also:trade in See also:grain and See also:coal. The town communicates with Paris by means of the Aube, which becomes navigable at this point. A See also:battle was fought here on the 20th and 21st of See also:March 1814 between See also:Napoleon and the Austro-See also:Russian army under See also:Schwarzenberg (see See also:NAPOLEONIC See also:CAMPAIGNS).

End of Article: ARCHYTAS (c. 428—347 B.C.)

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