CH. I. THALESANAXIMANDER. 9 



the day was short and the night long. This went on for a 

 few days, and because the sun stood at the same height 

 every day, the name of winter sol-sticc, or sun-standing, was 

 given to these days in the middle of winter. Aftenvards the 

 sun began to rise a very little higher every day, till in three 

 months, when winter had passed away and the plants and 

 trees began to bud, the sun took exactly twelve hours to pass 

 across the sky from sunrise to sunset, so then the day was 

 twelve hours long, and the night also twelve hours ; this was 

 called the spring equi-nox, or equal night, meaning that the 

 day and night were of equal length. After this the sun still 

 rose higher every day, and in three months more stood for 

 some days nearly overhead at mid-day, thus making a long 

 journey from sunrise to sunset, and causing the day to be 

 long and the night short. This was the summer solstice. 

 Then the sun began to rise less high every day, and in 

 another three months there was again equal day and equal 

 night the autumn equinox had arrived. Finally, in another 

 three months, the shortest day arrived again, and the whole 

 round began afresh. This was how Thales marked out the 

 solstices and the equinoxes ; we still call them by the same 

 name as he did, and you may watch these changes of the 

 sun in the sky for yourself. 



Thales knew that the sun and stars were not gods, and 

 thought they were made of some fiery substance ; he knew 

 also that the moon receives its light from the sun and reflects 

 it like a looking-glass. He was very learned in mathematics, 

 and invented several problems now found in the ' Elements 

 of Euclid.' He is also said to have foretold an eclipse, but 

 this is probably not true, as it requires more knowledge than 

 he is likely to have had. 



Anaximander of Miletus, 610 B.C., the friend of Thales, 



