Balanos Vasilopoulos
Encyclopedia
Balanos Vasilopoulos was a Greek
scholar, cleric and author. He made a significant contribution in the growth of Greek Enlightenment during the Ottoman
occupation of the Greek world.
, major center of the Greek Enlightenment movement during that time. He was a student of Methodios Anthrakites
director of the local Gouma (later Balaneios) school. As a teacher he initially became director of the school Epifaneios Igoumenos (1719–1734) and then the Gouma. Both schools were the most prestigious in Ioannina.
In the Greek language question
, he supported the conservative party and the teaching of classical Greek in education. Balanos was accused for this position by Eugenios Voulgaris
, a progressive supporter of Demotic. In ca. 1760 his son Kosmas Balanos
succeded him as schoolmaster of the Gouma School.
. He also wrote the following, and various other books of less significance:
Balanos claimed to have solved the problem of doubling the cube
, i.e. finding the cube root of 2 using ruler and compasses. He published this in Venice
in 1756, and attempted to gain international recognition for his solution from the community of mathematicians, and in particular Leonhard Euler
and the members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences
. His son Kosmas rejected the solution in a work published in 1816 after his own death, Αντιπελάργησις (Antipelargisis, Against the Stork). The problem was later proved to be impossible.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
scholar, cleric and author. He made a significant contribution in the growth of Greek Enlightenment during the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
occupation of the Greek world.
Life
Balanos was born in IoanninaIoannina
Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
, major center of the Greek Enlightenment movement during that time. He was a student of Methodios Anthrakites
Methodios Anthrakites
Methodios Anthrakites was a Greek scholar, priest and director of the Gioumeios and Epiphaneios Schools in Ioannina. He made a significant contribution in the growth of Greek Enlightenment during the Ottoman occupation of Greece....
director of the local Gouma (later Balaneios) school. As a teacher he initially became director of the school Epifaneios Igoumenos (1719–1734) and then the Gouma. Both schools were the most prestigious in Ioannina.
In the Greek language question
Greek language question
The Greek language question was a dispute discussing the question whether the language of the Greek people or a cultivated imitation of Ancient Greek should be the official language of the Greek nation. It was a highly controversial topic in the 19th and 20th centuries and was finally resolved...
, he supported the conservative party and the teaching of classical Greek in education. Balanos was accused for this position by Eugenios Voulgaris
Eugenios Voulgaris
Eugenios Voulgaris or Boulgaris or Vulgares was a Greek Orthodox educator, and bishop of Kherson . Writing copiously on theology, philosophy and the sciences, he disseminated western European thought throughout the Greek and eastern Christian world, and was a leading contributor to the Modern...
, a progressive supporter of Demotic. In ca. 1760 his son Kosmas Balanos
Kosmas Balanos
Kosmas Balanos was a Greek mathematician, author and school director. He continued the work of his father Balanos Vasilopoulos, and was among Greece's leading scholars of his time.-Life:...
succeded him as schoolmaster of the Gouma School.
Work
He expanded and reprinted the work of his teacher Methodios Anthrakites The Way of Mathematics . This was the first handbook in the field of mathematics published in Greek during the Ottoman occupationOttoman Greece
Most of Greece gradually became part of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th century until its declaration of independence in 1821, a historical period also known as Tourkokratia ....
. He also wrote the following, and various other books of less significance:
- Έκθεσις ακριβεστάτη της αριθμητικής (Precise Exposition of Arithmetic), Venice, 1803
- Ερμηνεία εις τους αφορισμούς του Ιπποκράτους (Interpretation of the Aphorisms of HippocratesHippocratesHippocrates of Cos or Hippokrates of Kos was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles , and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine...
)
Balanos claimed to have solved the problem of doubling the cube
Doubling the cube
Doubling the cube is one of the three most famous geometric problems unsolvable by compass and straightedge construction...
, i.e. finding the cube root of 2 using ruler and compasses. He published this in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
in 1756, and attempted to gain international recognition for his solution from the community of mathematicians, and in particular Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler was a pioneering Swiss mathematician and physicist. He made important discoveries in fields as diverse as infinitesimal calculus and graph theory. He also introduced much of the modern mathematical terminology and notation, particularly for mathematical analysis, such as the notion...
and the members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
. His son Kosmas rejected the solution in a work published in 1816 after his own death, Αντιπελάργησις (Antipelargisis, Against the Stork). The problem was later proved to be impossible.