TIMELINE STORY

Anaxagoras (circa 500-428 BCE)

From Year 0 (BCE/CE): -500
TAKE-AWAY: By 450 BCE, Anaxagoras and others understood that the moon was not a god but a rock like Earth. They knew the moon reflected the Sun’s light and the true nature of eclipses and lunar phases.
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Anaxagoras (circa 500-428 BCE)

Anaxagoras (circa 500-428 BCE)

By 450 BCE, some were trying to convince humanity of the true nature of the solar system. They understood and promoted the idea that the moon was not a deity but a physical body. Anaxagoras was one of the earliest known proponents of this view. He deduced that the moon is made of solid rock like the Earth and reflects the light of the Sun. He also accurately described the lunar phases and eclipses.

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