Eratosthenes

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Eratosthenes

Eratosthenes, Greek philosopher; b. Cyprene, c.276 B.C.; d. Alexandria, Egypt, c. 194 B.C. He wrote on numerous subjects, chiefly mathematics, and was custodian of the Alexandria library. The Catasterismi, attributed to Eratosthenes, contain scattered notes on Greek music and instruments, especially the “lyra” (Ger. tr. by Schaubach, 1795; Bernhardy publ. in 1822 an ed. of the original text). His work on music is lost; Ptolemy quotes his division of the tetrachord.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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