The Ambiguous Terms ἑῴα and ἑσπερία ἀνατολή, and ἑῴα and ἑσπερία δύσις

Abstract

It is demonstrated in this article that the terms ἑῴα and ἑσπερία ἀνατολή (heōia and hesperia anatolē), and ἑῴα and ἑσπερία δύσις (heōia and hesperia dusis) have at least three different meanings in astrological and astronomical texts. For this reason definitions of the terms found in Autolycus of Pitane, Theon of Smyrna and Paul of Alexandria are analysed in detail. To exemplify the confusion caused by the ambiguity of the terms, two ancient texts will be consulted. The first is a horoscope ascribed to Antigonus of Nicaea. It is shown in this article that an epitomist as well as a modern translator misunderstood the terms in question. The second is a scholium to Paul of Alexandria’s definition of the terms. The scholiast misunderstood the text of Paul of Alexandria and is himself misunderstood by a modern translator.