Extract

Apollonius (2), of *Perge, mathematician (fl. 200 bce). Born at Perge in Pamphylia, he composed the first version, in eight books, of his Conics in *Alexandria (1) ‘somewhat too hurriedly’ (Conics . He visited *Ephesus and *Pergamum, where he stayed with the mathematician Eudemus, (known to have been also a teacher of the Epicurean Philonides) to whom he subsequently sent the first three books of the revised version of the Conics. After Eudemus' death the remaining books were sent to Attalus.Of the Conics (Κωνικά) the first four books survive in Greek. These four books, as well as the next three, also survive in Arabic translation; the eighth is lost. Apollonius states (Conics 1 pref.) that the first four books are elementary. The remainders are particular, essentially independent treatises (πεϱιουσιαστιϰώτεϱα). He claims no originality for the content of Conics 1–4, but says that he expounds the fundamental properties ‘more fully and generally’ than his predecessors.