Читать книгу Universe: The story of the Universe, from earliest times to our continuing discoveries - Peter Grego - Страница 57

The Greeks benefited from the knowledge of the Universe that had been acquired by ancient Mesopotamian astronomers, and much of its ancient sky lore was also adopted and developed into fantastic celestial myths and legends. Quite unlike ancient Mesopotamia, conditions within the Greek civilisation allowed scientific enquiry to flourish. Ancient Greek philosophers were the first to determine the size of the Earth, the distance of the Moon and deduce the cause of solar and lunar eclipses. Greek philosophers enquired into the very nature of the cosmos, as attempts were made to explain objects and phenomena from the very small to the very big, from the basic atomic essence of matter to the structure of the Universe.