One ancient Greek scientist proposed the existence of polar day and polar night before people even knew the Earth was a sphere.
Bion of Abdera is a relatively unknown historical figure of the ancient Greek world, who, nonetheless, became an expert in astronomy and paved the way for many of the later discoveries in the field.
He stands out as a truly pioneering thinker, who made numerous significant contributions to early astronomy and geography.
Even though we don’t know the exact date of his birth, we do know that Bion was born around the 5th century BC in the Greek colony of Abdera in Thrace (modern-day northeastern Greece).
Bion of Abdera was an innovative figure who contributed a lot to the early astronomy and geography of ancient Greece, at a time when scientific knowledge was limited.
Born in the 5th century BC in the Greek colony of Abdera in Thrace, Bion was part of a tradition that prioritized intellectual thinking, research and inquiry.
This deeply philosophical way of thinking was what made Bion try to understand the world around him.
Bion’s early life and background
Unfortunately, very little is known about the early life and education of Bion. However, it’s clear that he lived in a vibrant intellectual environment that shaped his personality deeply, hence his later involvement in scientific study.
The ancient Greek city of Abdera was a regional epicentre of philosophy and learning. It was the home to many influential thinkers like Democritus, who developed the atomic theory of matter.
Another prominent figure who grew up in Abdera was Protagoras, a key character in the Sophist movement. Being part of such a community, Bion is very likely to have studied subjects such as mathematics, astronomy, and natural philosophy, even though we cannot verify this based on the little evidence we have.
If this is true though, it is most probably what equipped him with the academic knowledge to make significant contributions to science.
How did this ancient Greek figure out the polar day and polar night?
Bion of Abdera was the first known ancient Greek to work on the topic of polar day and polar night, something completely unknown to the Greeks at the time.
Our evidence comes from Diogenes Laertius, a prominent biographer of the 3rd century AD.
Bion’s early work on the concept of polar day and polar night was impressively groundbreaking, particularly taking into account that this was a time when most people thought the Earth was flat.
Today, we know that the polar day and night phenomena occur because of the tilt of the Earth’s axis, causing the sun to never set (polar day) and never rise (polar night) for months on end in the polar regions of our planet.
Bion was the first ancient Greek to propose that there are parts of the Earth where it is night for six months and day for another six months.
Despite the simplistic approach, this was a fascinating idea that only people who lived in polar regions back then would have been aware of as a reality.
It would take centuries for this theory to be proven by scientists, which shows how impressive Bion’s idea was, given the limited scientific knowledge and exploration of the polar regions during his time.
