Humanitext Reader

Theophrastus · Fragments §36.1

Hicetas of Syracuse on the Rotation of the Earth

Passage 26 of 196 · Greek

Summary

Theophrastus reports the astronomical view of Hicetas of Syracuse, who held that all heavenly bodies are stationary and only the earth rotates on its axis at high speed, producing the same phenomena as if the heavens were moving.

§36.1Fr. 36 Hicetas Syracusius, ut ait Theophrastus, coelum, lunam, stellas, supera denique omnia stare censet, neque praeter terram rem ullam in mundo moveri: quae cum circum axem se summa celeritate convertat et torqueat, eadem effici omnia, quae si stante terra coelum moveretur.
Fr. 36 Hicetas of Syracuse, as Theophrastus says, believes that the heaven, the moon, the stars, and in short all the upper bodies stand still, and that nothing else in the universe moves except the earth; and since this rotates and turns itself around its axis with the greatest speed, all the same effects are produced as would be if the heaven moved while the earth stood still.

Notes

  1. 36.1quae — A relative connection (connecting relative) whose antecedent is the preceding `terram` (earth). It is nominative singular feminine, serving as the subject of the verbs `convertat et torqueat` in the `cum`-clause.
  2. 36.1effici — The present passive infinitive of `efficio` (to bring about, produce). It is part of the accusative and infinitive (AcI) construction dependent on `censet` at the beginning of the sentence, with `eadem ... omnia` as its subject accusative.
  3. 36.1quae si stante terra coelum moveretur — The neuter plural relative pronoun `quae` correlates with the preceding `eadem`, meaning 'the same things which [would occur] if...'. The clause `si ... moveretur` is a contrary-to-fact conditional clause using the imperfect subjunctive, containing the ablative absolute `stante terra` ('while the earth stood still').

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §36.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:36.1

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