Anthemius of Tralles facts for kids
Anthemius of Tralles (Greek: Ἀνθέμιος ὁ Τραλλιανός, Medieval Greek: Anthémios o Trallianós; born around 474 – died between 533 and 558) was a Greek person from a place called Tralles. He was a very skilled geometer (someone who studies shapes and spaces) and an architect. He worked in Constantinople, which was the capital city of the Byzantine Empire. Along with another architect named Isidore of Miletus, he helped design the famous Hagia Sophia building for Justinian I, who was the emperor.
Life of Anthemius
Anthemius was one of five sons of Stephanus of Tralles, who was a doctor. His brothers were named Dioscorus, Alexander, Olympius, and Metrodorus. Dioscorus became a doctor in Tralles, just like his father. Alexander became a very famous doctor in Rome. Olympius was a well-known lawyer. Metrodorus worked as a grammarian, which means he studied language, in Constantinople.
Anthemius was known for being very clever and playful. He once surprised his neighbor, Zeno, in a funny way. He sent steam through hidden tubes under Zeno's floor, making it feel like a tiny earthquake! Another time, he used a special mirror to flash bright light into Zeno's eyes, making it seem like thunder and lightning. These stories show how creative and smart Anthemius was with mechanics and light.
Anthemius and Mathematics
Anthemius was a very talented mathematician. He wrote a book called On Burning Mirrors. In this book, he explained how to build special mirrors that could focus light to a single point.
He also described how to draw an ellipse using a string. An ellipse is like a stretched circle. He discovered a special rule about ellipses that wasn't known before. His work also showed the first practical use of a directrix for a parabola. A parabola is a U-shaped curve. This helped people draw parabolas more easily. Later, his ideas were used by famous Arab mathematicians like Alhazen.
A famous commentary on another mathematician's work was dedicated to Anthemius, showing how respected he was.
Anthemius as an Architect
As an architect, Anthemius is most famous for his work on the Hagia Sophia. This huge and beautiful church was ordered by Justinian I. Anthemius worked on the design with Isidore of Miletus. They started designing it after the old church on the same spot burned down in 532. Sadly, Anthemius passed away early in the building project.
He is also known for helping to fix the flood defenses in a city called Daras. This shows he was skilled in many areas of engineering and building.
See also
In Spanish: Antemio de Trales para niños
