Andronicus of Cyrrhus

The Tower of Winds

Andronicus of Cyrrhus (Greek: Ἀνδρόνικος Κυρρήστου) or Andronicus Cyrrhestes,son of Hermias, was a Macedonian astronomer who flourished about 100 BC.

Life

He built a horologion at Athens, the so-called Tower of the Winds, a considerable portion of which still exists. It is octagonal, with figures carved on each side, representing the eight principal winds. In antiquity a bronze figure of Triton on the summit, with a rod in his hand, turned round by the wind, pointed to the quarter from which it blew. From this model is derived the custom of placing weathercocks on steeples.^[1]

References

↑ Chisholm 1911.

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Andronicus of Cyrrhus". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

Tenos island - Epigraphical Database - IG XII,5 891

Ancient Greek astronomy

Astronomers	Acoreus Aglaonice Agrippa Anaximander Andronicus Apollonius Aratus Aristarchus Aristillus Attalus Autolycus Bion Callippus Cleomedes Cleostratus Conon Eratosthenes Euctemon Eudoxus Geminus Heraclides Hicetas Hipparchus Hippocrates of Chios Hypsicles Menelaus Meton Oenopides Philip of Opus Philolaus Posidonius Ptolemy Pytheas Seleucus Sosigenes of Alexandria Sosigenes the Peripatetic Strabo Thales Theodosius Theon of Alexandria Theon of Smyrna Timocharis

Works	Almagest (Ptolemy) On Sizes and Distances (Hipparchus) On the Sizes and Distances (Aristarchus) On the Heavens (Aristotle)

Instruments	Antikythera mechanism Armillary sphere Astrolabe Dioptra Equatorial ring Gnomon Mural instrument Triquetrum

Concepts	Callippic cycle Celestial spheres Circle of latitude Counter-Earth Deferent and epicycle Equant Geocentrism Heliocentrism Hipparchic cycle Metonic cycle Octaeteris Solstice Spherical Earth Sublunary sphere Zodiac

Influences	Babylonian astronomy Egyptian astronomy

Influenced	Medieval European science Indian astronomy Medieval Islamic astronomy