Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers

And he is said to have measured the small stars of the Wain original: "ἁμάξης" (hamaxes) — referring here to the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper), by which the Phoenicians sail. According to some accounts, he wrote only two treatises: On the Solstice and On the Equinox, but some say considering everything else to be beyond comprehension. According to others, he was the first to study astronomy astronomy: original "ἀστρολογῆσαι" (astrologēsai), which in antiquity referred to the scientific study of the stars, and the first to predict solar eclipses and solstices, as Eudemus says in his History of Astronomy. For this reason, both Xenophanes and Herodotus express their admiration for him; Heraclitus and Democritus also bear witness to his fame.

Some also claim that he was the first to declare that souls are immortal; among these is Choerilus the poet. He was also the first to discover the sun's path from solstice to solstice, and the first to declare that the size of the sun is 1/720th part of the lunar circle This likely refers to the angular diameter of the sun or moon as seen from earth—a remarkably accurate ancient measurement. According to some, he was also the first to call the last day of the month the "thirtieth." He was also the first to discuss nature original: "περὶ φύσεως" (peri physeōs) — the study of the physical world, as some tell it.

Aristotle and Hippias say that he even attributed a soul to inanimate things, using the magnet original: "λίθου τῆς μαγνήτιδος" (lithou tēs magnētidos) — the lodestone and amber original: "ἠλέκτρου" (ēlektrou) as evidence, because they have the power to move other objects. Pamphila says that, having learned geometry from the Egyptians, he was the first to inscribe a right-angled triangle in a circle, whereupon he sacrificed an ox. Others, however—among whom is Apollodorus the calculator—attribute this to Pythagoras. Thales further developed the discoveries that Callimachus says in his Iambics were found by Euphorbus the Phrygian, such as scalene triangles and other matters related to theoretical geometry.

He also seems to have given excellent counsel in political matters. For instance, when Croesus The wealthy King of Lydia sent a proposal to the Milesians for a military alliance, Thales blocked it; this act saved the city when Cyrus Cyrus the Great of Persia later emerged victorious. Heraclides records that Thales himself said he lived a solitary life as a private individual. of the Some say he married and had a son named Kibisthus, while others say he remained unmarried but adopted his sister's son. When he was once asked why he did not have children of his own, he replied, "Because I love children." They also say that when his mother tried to force him to marry, he would say, "By Zeus, it is not yet the time!" Then, when he had passed his prime and she pressed him again, he said, "It is no longer the time."