The Encyclopedia of Ancient Natural Scientists: The Greek tradition and its many heirs

(Ron) #1

Epimakhos of Athens (310 – 300 BCE)


Epimakhos designed a giant helepolis (siege-tower) for De ̄me ̄trios Poliorke ̄te ̄s at the siege
of Rhodes (305– 304 BCE). This costly and elaborate siege machine was ca 40m high, ca 20m
wide, weighed ca 160 metric tons, and could withstand the impact of a 160-kg stone thrown
by a ballista (A M. p. 27 W.; V 10.16.4).


RE 6.1 (1907) 160 (#3), E. Fabricius.
GLIM


Epimenide ̄s of Crete (650 – 520 BCE)


Wise man credited with wonders including a 57-year nap (D L 1.109). His
“hunger-banishing” recipe, allegedly based on H, WD 41, is cited by T-
, HP 7.12.1 (contains squill), H  S (FGrHist 1026 T8e = P,
in Hes. Op. 41), and P, Conv. Sap. 157D–E (cf. Fac. Orb. 940), among others. A-
 12.7 = fr. B2 preserves three lines of verse which he interprets as a claim that the
Nemean lion fell from the inhabited Moon.


DK 3.
PTK


E ⇒ P  O


Epiphane ̄s (?) (400 BCE – 300 CE)


The “Laurentian” list of medical writers (MS Laur. Lat. 73.1, f. 143V = fr.13 Tecusan)
includes Epiphane ̄s, more likely as the epikle ̄sis of a king or god than a proper name (although
attested: LGPN). Perhaps E or E is meant, or else A or
A  B. Cf. also H, L, and P  K.


(*)
PTK


Epiphanios (Meteor.) (unknown date)


Author of an unedited work On Thunder and Lightning, conceivably a work similar to
V’.


RE 6.1 (1907) 196 (#11), A. Rehm.
PTK


Epiphanios of Eleutheropolis/Salamis (ca 365 – 403 CE)


Born in a Jewish family of Eleutheropolis, after conversion became bishop of Salamis.
Besides his Christian dogmatic works, Epiphanios wrote also a metrological treatise whose
title, On measures and weights, seems a later addition. The work survives abridged in Greek and
Georgian, but complete only in Syriac. It seems clear the work was basically didactic, and
contained much Biblical and historical material, including the metrological terms. What
survives is an unsystematic exposition of Biblical units, giving the meaning of their Hebrew
name, comparison with the measures used in the Greco-Roman world, along with entries
about the currency units.


EPIPHANIOS OF ELEUTHEROPOLIS/SALAMIS
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