In existographies, Mochos (c.1250-1200BC) was a Phoenician, probably mythical, i.e. astro-theological (Keyser, 2016), and or fictional, reported by Posidonius (c.120BC), to have existed before the mythical Trojan war (c.1200BC), and purported to have invented the concept of atoms and or atomic theory, before Leucippus.
Quotes | On
The following are quotes on Mochos:
“If the opinion of Posidonius is well-founded, we should even honor the atomic theory of an old philosopher of Sidon, Mochus, who lived prior to the Trojan War [c.1200BC]. The theory of Democritus about the atom is of Phoenician origin.”
— Strabo (c.23AD), Geography (XVI.757) (Ѻ) [2]
“Democritus and Epicurus said the elements were atoms, unless this doctrine is to be considered more ancient, and, as the stoic Posidonius said, derived from a Phoenician called Mochos.”
— Sextus Empiricus (c.200AD), Against the Mathematicians [2]
“Libra, which the Greeks called ‘Zygon’, is a masculine name’; and a man called ‘Mochos’ obtained it, with full justice of indulgence, who is said to have first invented for people the weighting of the balance (‘libra’), which is considered most useful for mortals; and therefore, he was both received into the number of stars, and was called Libra.”
— Lucius Ampelius (c.320), Liber Memoralis [1]
References
1. Keyser, Paul T. (2016). “Mochos the Phoenician Sage in Ampelius” (abs), The Classical Journal, 111(4):495-501, Apr-May.
2. (a) Sextus, Empiricus. (c.200AD). Against the Mathematicians (IX.363) Publisher.
(b) Taylor, C.C.W. (1999). The Atomists: Leucippus and Democritus: Fragments: a Text and Translation with a Commentary by C.C.W. Taylor (pg. 153). University of Toronto Press.
Further reading
● Partington, James. (1957). A Short History of Chemistry (pg. 164). Publisher.
