Eutocius of Ascalon

Eutocius of Ascalon was a Greek mathematician who lived between the 480s and 520s. He is best known for writing commentaries, or detailed explanations, on several important works by Archimedes. Archimedes was a famous ancient mathematician known for his clever solutions to math problems.

Eutocius also wrote about the Conics by Apollonius, another important mathematician. His commentaries helped later scholars understand these complex works better. By explaining and discussing the ideas of Archimedes and Apollonius, Eutocius played an important role in keeping their knowledge alive for future generations.

Life and work

Little is known about Eutocius. He was born in Ascalon, which was part of Palestina Prima, and lived during the time of Justinian. Eutocius likely led the Alexandrian school after Ammonius and was later succeeded by Olympiodorus.

Eutocius wrote helpful guides about the work of other smart people. He wrote about Apollonius and Archimedes. His guides included notes on Apollonius' book called Conics and several of Archimedes' works, like On the Sphere and Cylinder, Measurement of the Circle, and On the Equilibrium of Planes. He also wrote an introduction to the first book of Ptolemy's Almagest. His work helped later scientists learn more about Archimedes' ideas. Eutocius dedicated his guide on Apollonius to another scientist, Anthemius of Tralles, who helped build the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.