CERL Thesaurus

Hipparchus, Nicaenus

Record IDcnp00976504

URIhttp://data.cerl.org/thesaurus/cnp00976504

Last Edit2024-02-08

General Note

Griech. Astronom und Geograph

More Information

Further Biographical Data2. Jh. v. Chr-

ActivityPersonen zu Geografie, Heimat- und Länderkunde (19.1dp) (sswd)

Personen zu Astronomie, Weltraumforschung (20p) (sswd)

Astronom (gnd)

Geograf (gnd)

Geograph und Astronom

Geographic NoteGriechenland (Altertum

XS (iso3166-1)

Names

HeadingHipparchus, Nicaenus
used in: Integrated Authority File (GND), Germany; Common Library Network (GBV), Göttingen (Germany)

Variant NameHipparchos, Astronom

Hipparchos, Bithynos

Hipparchos, Geograph

Hipparchos, von Chalkis

Hipparchos, von Nikaia

Hipparchus

Hipparchus, Astronomicus

Hipparchus, Astronomus

Hipparchus, Bithynius

Hipparchus, Bithynus

Hipparchus, Geographus

Hipparchus, Nicaeensis

Hipparchus, of Nicaea

Hipparchus, von Nikaia

Hipparque, de Nicée

Hipparque, le Rhodien

Ipparco, Astronomo

Ipparco, Geografico

Ipparco, di Nicea

Sources

Found inDer kleine Pauly

This engraving was made based on a carved amethyst depicting Hipparchus (CARC:1839-881) included among the Poniatowski gems, a collection of early 19th century forgeries passed off as antique engraved gems.

It is described in Poniatowski's 1833 catalog (VIII.2.60, vol. 1, p. 105, vol. 2, p. 52):

"... Dans le champ de cette pierre on voit une étoile et en beaux caractères le nom du sujet. Améthyste."

[In the field of this stone we see a star and in beautiful characters the name of the subject. Amethyst.]

The gem was sold at auction in 1839 (Christie's: A catalogue of the very celebrated collection of antique gems of the Prince Poniatowski ..., No. 881) and its whereabouts since are unknown, but in 1842 British naval officer William Henry Smyth sent a letter to the (American) National Institute for the Promotion of Science:

Bulletin of the Proceedings of the National Institute for the Promotion of Science, 3 (1842), 1845, Stated Meeting, September 12, 1842, Letters and Communications, p. 258, "From W. H. Smyth, Chelsea, England, August 20, 1842: Acknowledging bulletin No. 2, and forwarding his privately printed catalogue of Roman brass medals; also, specimens of impressions of the head of Hipparchus, from the Poniatowski-gem, intended as a vignette illustration of his work."

The engraving here was first used for the title page of Smyth's 1844 book:

Smyth, William Henry (1844), A Cycle of Celestial Objects, vol. 2, John W. Parker, title page

In 1965 this was the source for a Greek stamp celebrating Hipparchus. See:

Wilson, Robin (1989). "Stamp corner". The Mathematical Intelligencer. 11 (1): 72. doi:10.1007/bf03023779
[William Henry Smyth / George F. Chambers, A Handbook of Descriptive and Practical Astronomy, Vol. 3 (4th ed.) https://archive.org/details/handbookofdescri0003geor/page/n10/mode/1up -- Public domain -- http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Head of Hipparchus (cropped).jpg]