Join us on Friday, February 3 at 12:30 pm for a talk by Sara Panteri (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor). Details below:
“From All Eight, A Single Harmony Sounded”: The Pythagoreans, Plato, and Eratosthenes on the Harmony of the Spheres
In my talk I investigate the origin and development of the idea of the ‘Harmony of the Spheres’, starting from the Pythagoreans, passing through Plato, and culminating with Eratosthenes of Cyrene. I show how Eratosthenes elaborated on the image of cosmic musical harmony that he found in the Myth of Er in the Republic and gave clarity and substance to it by relying on his expertise in harmonic theory. The topic of Eratosthenes’ treatment of the harmony of the spheres is one of the case-studies I use to support my argument that Eratosthenes is representative of a specific form of Platonism, namely Platonism in Hellenistic Alexandria.
Note from the speaker: "Unlike many Forum events, this talk is not a 'work-in-progress presentation', but rather a 'practice job talk'. I mention it because I think it might be relevant information to share with all those who might be interested in attending."