Ostomachion
Treatise on geometry attributed to Archimedes / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In ancient Greek geometry, the Ostomachion, also known as loculus Archimedius (from Latin 'Archimedes' box') or syntomachion, is a mathematical treatise attributed to Archimedes. This work has survived fragmentarily in an Arabic version and a copy, the Archimedes Palimpsest, of the original ancient Greek text made in Byzantine times.[1]
This section possibly contains original research. (October 2013) |
The word Ostomachion (Ὀστομάχιον)[2] comes from Greek ὀστέον (osteon) 'bone', and μάχη (mache) 'fight, battle, combat'.[3][4] The manuscripts refer to the word as "Stomachion", an apparent corruption of the original Greek. Ausonius gives us the correct name "Ostomachion" (quod Graeci ostomachion vocavere, "which the Greeks called ostomachion").
The Ostomachion which he describes was a puzzle similar to tangrams and was played perhaps by several persons with pieces made of bone.[5] It is not known which is older, Archimedes' geometrical investigation of the figure, or the game. Victorinus,[6] Bassus[7] Ennodius[8] and Lucretius[9] have also discussed the game.