Paper short abstract:

The paper examines how the celestial globe built by Eudoxus of Cnidus in the 4th century BC, containing the earliest complete depiction of the constellations as observable from the latitude of Greece, was described by the Stoic poet Aratus (3rd century BC) as a visualisation of divine providence.

Paper long abstract:

In the first half of the fourth century BC the astronomer Eudoxus of Cnidus produced a celestial globe containing the earliest complete depiction of the constellations as observable from the latitude of Greece. Almost a hundred years later, the Stoic philosopher Aratus of Soli, working at the request of king Antigonus of Macedon, composed a poetic description of the constellations based on Eudoxus' globe, presenting them as visibly demonstrating the Stoic concept of divine providence. This poem, entitled "Phaenomena", enjoyed enormous success throughout antiquity and the middle ages, ensuring the dissemination of Eudoxus' astronomical knowledge and Aratus' philosophical and religious ideas. The paper will examine the link between Eudoxus' innovative astronomical instrument, the natural phenomena it describes, and the religious ideas attached to it by Aratus, showing how scientific and technological innovation was put at the service of the dissemination and popularisation of Stoic theology.