Domninus of Larissa
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Domninus of Larissa (Greek: Δομνῖνος) (ca. 420 - ca. 480 AD) was an ancient Hellenistic Jewish Syrian mathematician.
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[edit] Life and work
Domninus of Larissa, Syria was, simultaneously with Proclus, a pupil of Syrianus. Marinus writes about a rivalry between Domninus and Proclus about how Plato's work should be interpreted,
[Syrianus] offered to discourse to them on either the Orphic theories or the oracles; but Domninus wanted Orphism, Proclus the oracles, and they had not agreed when Syrianus died...[1]
The Athenian academy eventually choose Proclus' interpretation over Domninus' and Proclus would later became the head of the Academy. After Proclus' promotion, Domninus left Athens and returned to Larissa.
Domninus is remembered for authoring a Manual of Introductory Arithmetic, which was edited by Boissonade and had two articles by Tannery written about it. The Manual of Introductory Arithmetic was a concise and well arranged overview of the theory of numbers. It covered numbers, proportions and means. It is important since it is a reaction against Nicomachus' Introductio arithmetica and a return to the doctrine of Euclid.
Domninus is also believed to have authored a tract entitled how a ratio can be taken out of a ratio, which studies the manipulation of ratios into other forms. Bulmer-Thomas believe that it was written, at least in part, by Domninus, but Heath casts some doubt on the authorship by stating that if it wasn't written by Domninus then it at least comes from the same period as him.[2] Domninus may have also written a work entitled Elements of Arithmetic as referred to near the end of his Manual of Introductory Arithmetic, although whether or not he ever wrote this book is unknown.
[edit] Citations and footnotes
[edit] References
- Heath, Thomas Little (1981). A History of Greek Mathematics, Volume II. Dover publications. ISBN 0486240746.
- Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, Biography in Dictionary of Scientific Biography (New York 1970-1990).
[edit] External links
- O'Connor, John J. & Robertson, Edmund F., “Domninus of Larissa”, MacTutor History of Mathematics archive
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