Il ruolo di Posidonio e della dossografia per la datazione del Περὶ κόσμου e i rapporti con l’Elogium geographiae. II

Abstract

The paper deals with the problem of the influence of Posidonius’ teaching on Περὶ κόσμου and puts forward arguments against attempts, some of them quite recent, to attribute this treatise to Aristotle.

§ 1 offers a short history of how Περὶ κόσμου has been interpreted, while § 2 outlines the current status quaestionis. § 3 demonstrates that Theophrastus’ doctrines on the origin of earthquakes and of high tides do not correspond to those of Περὶ κόσμου. § 4 and 5 adduce evidence that the scientific views of Περὶ κόσμου derive from the doxographic tradition and not directly from Aristotle’s Meteorology. In § 6, the definition of the rainbow given in Περὶ κόσμου is analyzed: the presence of keywords such as κοῖλος and τμῆμα proves inter alia that it comes from Posidonius’ theory on the origin of rainbows. Περὶ κόσμου is thus definitely post-Posidonian.

The aim of the final paragraph is to demonstrate that the anonymous Elogium geographiae (a part of the famous P. Artemid.) has been influenced by the proem of Περὶ κόσμου. This allows us to date the Elogium very closely to the turn of the Christian era.