Lesson plan
Euctemon
Euctemon ( , gen. Εὐκτήμονος; fl. 432 BC) was an Athenian astronomer. He was a contemporary and collaborator of Meton, who developed the 19-year Metonic cycle, which synchronises 235 lunar months with 19 solar years to form the basis of ancient Greek calendrical systems. Little is known of his work apart from his partnership with Meton and what is mentioned by Ptolemy. With Meton, he made a series of observations of the solstices (the time or date (twice each year) at which the sun reaches its maximum or minimum declination, marked by the longest and shortest days (about 21 June and 22 December) in order to determine the length of the tropical year). Geminus and Ptolemy quote him as a source on the rising and setting of the stars. Pausanias's Description of Greece names Damon and Philogenes as the children of Euctemon. The lunar crater Euctemon is named after him.
Article summary
Euctemon ( , gen. Εὐκτήμονος; fl. 432 BC) was an Athenian astronomer. He was a contemporary and collaborator of Meton, who developed the 19-year Metonic cycle, which synchronises 235 lunar months with 19 solar years to form the basis of ancient Greek calendrical systems. Little is known of his work apart from his partnership with Meton and what is mentioned by Ptolemy. With Meton, he made a series of observations of the solstices (the time or date (twice each year) at which the sun reaches its maximum or minimum declination, marked by the longest and shortest days (about 21 June and 22 December) in order to determine the length of the tropical year). Geminus and Ptolemy quote him as a source on the rising and setting of the stars. Pausanias's Description of Greece names Damon and Philogenes as the children of Euctemon. The lunar crater Euctemon is named after him.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.