Ostomachion

Ostomachion Figures — Ostomachion figures mentioned by Ausonius and others (Bibliotheca Augustana)

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]

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.

^ Darling, David (2004). The universal book of mathematics: from Abracadabra to Zeno's paradoxes. John Wiley and Sons, p. 188. ISBN 0-471-27047-4
^ ὀστομάχιον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
^ ὀστέον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
^ μάχη, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
^ Ausonii Cento nuptialis in Monumenta Germaniae Historica, auctores antiquissimi, vol. 5, part 2: D. Magni Ausonii opuscola, Berolini apud Weidmannos, 1883, pagg. 140-41 Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Ars grammatica, III, 1 in Grammatici latini, Lipsiae in aedibus R. G. Teubneri, 1857, vol. 6, part 1, pagg. 100-01.
^ De metris, 9 in Grammatici latini cit., pagg. 271-72,
^ Carmen CCCXL (2, 133) in Monumenta Germaniae Historica, auctores antiquissimi, vol. 7, Magni Felicis Ennodi opera, Berolini apud Weidmannos, 1885, pag. 249 Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
^ De rerum natura, II, 776-787 cited in Netz, Reviel; Acerbi, Fabio; Wilson, Nigel (2004). "Towards a reconstruction of Archimedes' Stomachion" (PDF). Sciamvs. 5: 67–99. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.

[Arch-1] Darling, David (2004). The universal book of mathematics: from Abracadabra to Zeno's paradoxes. John Wiley and Sons, p. 188. ISBN 0-471-27047-4

[2] ὀστομάχιον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library

[3] ὀστέον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library

[4] μάχη, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library

[5] Ausonii Cento nuptialis in Monumenta Germaniae Historica, auctores antiquissimi, vol. 5, part 2: D. Magni Ausonii opuscola, Berolini apud Weidmannos, 1883, pagg. 140-41 Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine.

[6] Ars grammatica, III, 1 in Grammatici latini, Lipsiae in aedibus R. G. Teubneri, 1857, vol. 6, part 1, pagg. 100-01.

[7] De metris, 9 in Grammatici latini cit., pagg. 271-72,

[8] Carmen CCCXL (2, 133) in Monumenta Germaniae Historica, auctores antiquissimi, vol. 7, Magni Felicis Ennodi opera, Berolini apud Weidmannos, 1885, pag. 249 Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine

[9] De rerum natura, II, 776-787 cited in Netz, Reviel; Acerbi, Fabio; Wilson, Nigel (2004). "Towards a reconstruction of Archimedes' Stomachion" (PDF). Sciamvs. 5: 67–99. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.

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