Editing Euclid (section)

===Traditional narrative===
[[File:0 Chambre de Raphaël - École d'Athènes - Musées du Vatican.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Detail of [[Raphael]]'s impression of Euclid, teaching students in ''[[The School of Athens]]'' (1509–1511)]]

The English name 'Euclid' is the anglicized version of the [[Ancient Greek]] name {{Transliteration|grc|Eukleídes}} ({{lang|grc|Εὐκλείδης}}).{{sfn|Sialaros|2021|loc=§ "Life"}}{{efn|In modern English, 'Euclid' is pronounced as {{IPAc-en|ˈ|j|uː|k|l|ɪ|d}}.{{sfn|''OED''a}}}} It is derived from '[[Wikt:eu-#English|eu-]]' ([[Wikt:εὖ#Ancient Greek|εὖ]]; 'well') and 'klês' ([[Wikt:#-κλῆς|-κλῆς]]; 'fame'), meaning "renowned, glorious".{{sfn|''OED''b}} In English, by [[metonymy]], 'Euclid' can mean his most well-known work, [[Euclid's Elements|Euclid's ''Elements'']], or a copy thereof,{{sfn|''OED''a}} and is sometimes synonymous with 'geometry'.{{sfn|Bruno|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun/page/125 125]}}

As with many [[ancient Greek mathematicians]], the details of Euclid's life are mostly unknown.{{sfn|Heath|1981|p=354}} He is accepted as the author of four mostly extant treatises—the ''Elements'', ''[[Euclid's Optics|Optics]]'', ''[[Euclid's Data|Data]]'', ''[[Euclid's Phaenomena|Phaenomena]]''—but besides this, there is nothing known for certain of him.{{sfn|Asper|2010|loc=§ para. 1}}{{efn|Euclid's ''oeuvre'' also includes the treatise ''On Divisions'', which survives fragmented in a later Arabic source.{{sfn|Sialaros|2021|loc=§ "Works"}} He authored numerous [[#Lost works|lost works]] as well.{{sfn|Sialaros|2021|loc=§ "Works"}}}} The traditional narrative mainly follows the 5th century AD account by [[Proclus]] in his ''Commentary on the First Book of Euclid's Elements'', as well as a few anecdotes from [[Pappus of Alexandria]] in the early 4th century.{{sfn|Sialaros|2021|loc=§ "Life"}}{{efn|Some of the information from [[Pappus of Alexandria]] on Euclid is now lost and was preserved in [[Proclus]]'s ''Commentary on the First Book of Euclid's Elements''.{{sfn|Heath|1911|p=741}}}}

<!--Early life-->
According to Proclus, Euclid lived shortly after several of [[Plato]]'s ({{Died in|347}} BC) followers and before the mathematician [[Archimedes]] ({{circa|287|212}} BC);{{efn|Proclus was likely working from (now-lost) 4th-century BC histories of mathematics written by [[Theophrastus]] and [[Eudemus of Rhodes]]. [[Proclus#Commentary on Euclid's Elements|Proclus explicitly mentions]] Amyclas of Heracleia, [[Menaechmus]] and his brother [[Dinostratus]], [[Theudius|Theudius of Magnesia]], [[Athenaeus of Cyzicus]], [[Hermotimus of Colophon]], and [[Philip of Opus|Philippus of Mende]], and says that Euclid came "not long after" these men.}} specifically, Proclus placed Euclid during the rule of [[Ptolemy I Soter|Ptolemy I]] ({{reign|305/304|282}} BC).{{sfn|Heath|1981|p=354}}{{sfn|Asper|2010|loc=§ para. 1}}{{efn|See {{harvnb|Heath|1981|p=354}} for an English translation on Proclus's account of Euclid's life.}} Euclid's birthdate is unknown; some scholars estimate around 330{{sfn|Ball|1960|p=[https://archive.org/details/shortaccountofhi0000ball/page/52/mode/2up 52]}}{{sfn|Sialaros|2020|p=141}} or 325 BC,{{sfn|Bruno|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun/page/125 125]}}{{sfn|Goulding|2010|p=125}} but others refrain from speculating.{{sfn|Smorynski|2008|p=2}} It is presumed that he was of Greek descent,{{sfn|Ball|1960|p=[https://archive.org/details/shortaccountofhi0000ball/page/52/mode/2up 52]}} but his birthplace is unknown.{{sfn|Boyer|1991|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmathema00boye/page/100/mode/2up?view=theater 100]}}{{efn|Later Arab sources state he was a Greek born in modern-day [[Tyre, Lebanon]], though these accounts are considered dubious and speculative.{{sfn|Asper|2010|loc=§ para. 1}}{{sfn|Sialaros|2021|loc=§ "Life"}} See {{harvnb|Heath|1981|p=355}} for an English translation of the Arab account. He was long held to have been born in Megara, but by the [[Renaissance]] it was concluded that he had been confused with the philosopher [[Euclid of Megara]],{{sfn|Goulding|2010|p=118}} see [[#Identity and historicity|§Identity and historicity]]}} Proclus held that Euclid followed the [[Platonism|Platonic tradition]], but there is no definitive confirmation for this.{{sfn|Heath|1981|p=355}} It is unlikely he was a contemporary of Plato, so it is often presumed that he was educated by Plato's disciples at the [[Platonic Academy]] in Athens.{{sfn|Goulding|2010|p=126}} Historian [[Thomas Heath (classicist)|Thomas Heath]] supported this theory, noting that most capable geometers lived in Athens, including many of those whose work Euclid built on;{{sfn|Heath|1908|p=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_UhgPAAAAIAAJ/page/n13/mode/2up 2]}} historian Michalis Sialaros considers this a mere conjecture.{{sfn|Sialaros|2021|loc=§ "Life"}}{{sfn|Sialaros|2020|pp=147–148}} In any event, the contents of Euclid's work demonstrate familiarity with the Platonic geometry tradition.{{sfn|Ball|1960|p=[https://archive.org/details/shortaccountofhi0000ball/page/52/mode/2up 52]}}

<!--Later life-->
In his ''Collection'', Pappus mentions that [[Apollonius of Perga|Apollonius]] studied with Euclid's students in [[Alexandria]], and this has been taken to imply that Euclid worked and founded a [[school of thought|mathematical tradition]] there.{{sfn|Asper|2010|loc=§ para. 1}}{{sfn|Sialaros|2020|p=142}}{{sfn|Heath|1908|p=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_UhgPAAAAIAAJ/page/n13/mode/2up 2]}} The city was founded by [[Alexander the Great]] in 331 BC,{{sfn|Bruno|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun/page/126 126]}} and the rule of Ptolemy I from 306 BC onwards gave it a stability which was relatively unique amid the chaotic [[Wars of the Diadochi|wars over dividing Alexander's empire]].{{sfn|Ball|1960|p=[https://archive.org/details/shortaccountofhi0000ball/page/50/mode/2up 51]}} Ptolemy began a process of [[hellenization]] and commissioned numerous constructions, building the massive [[Musaeum]] institution, which was a leading center of education.{{sfn|Boyer|1991|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmathema00boye/page/100/mode/2up?view=theater 100]}}{{efn|The [[Musaeum]] would later include the famous [[Library of Alexandria]], but it was likely founded later, during the reign of [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus]] (285–246 BC).{{sfn|Tracy|2000|pp=343–344}}}} Euclid is speculated to have been among the Musaeum's first scholars.{{sfn|Bruno|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun/page/126 126]}} Euclid's date of death is unknown; it has been speculated that he died {{circa|270 BC}}.{{sfn|Bruno|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/mathmathematicia00brun/page/126 126]}}