Theon of Smyrna: Book on Astronomy

is presented by Gronovius1, and after both, more accurately, by Visconti2, with this inscription: The priest Theon [consecrated] his father, Theon the Platonist philosopher. The marble head itself, on the base of which, carved from the same stone, this inscription is read—having been brought from Smyrna to Marseille—was purchased with private funds during the reign of Louis XIV by that famous Fouquet, in whose private library was also the Parisian manuscript of Theon’s Astronomy3. The same marble image, subsequently purchased by Cardinal Alessandro Albani, now exists in the Capitoline Museum4. Therefore, Theon had a son of the same name, a priest, who consecrated an image of his father at Smyrna, in the temple of that god to whom he served5. No more can be unearthed regarding the life of Theon of Smyrna. However, he teaches us much about his own works, and some things become known for the first time in this edition.

His principal work was a compendium compiled from various authors on the mathematical arts, intended primarily to serve students of Platonic philosophy. The author seems to have titled the entire work6 Mathematical Matters Useful for the Reading of Plato, and individual...

1 Treasury of Greek Antiquities, vol. III, letter ffff.
2 Greek Iconography, plate XIX, nos. 3 and 4.
3 See Part I, ch. II, § 3 of this dissertation.
4 See Visconti, Greek Iconography, Part I, ch. IV, p. 178; and Capitoline Museum, vol. I, table 29.
5 See de Gelder, Prefatory Matters, ch. I, § 5, pp. XVI-XX.
6 This title is not found anywhere in the nominative case, because no manuscript exists containing the entire work.