MATHEMATICIAN, ARCHITECT, INVENTOR

Life
Parmenio lived in Alexandria in the age of Alexander the Great. He is cited by Vitruvius.


Work
His works included:

- The City of Alexandria: Parmenio helped in the construction of the city, working closely with Crates and Deinocrates.

- The Serapeion: A majestic temple dedicated to Serapis, the god of fertility, who was the divinity associated with the earth, the abyss, the seas. According to Tacitus and Plutarch, Ptolemy I of Egypt introduced the cult of Pluto from Sinope on the Black Sea. In Egypt Pluto became Serapis; his consort was Isis. The Serapeion was erected on a hill in the southern part of the city, in the commercial quarter of Rakotis. The statue of the god, in the Greek style, was the work of a famous Greek sculptor called Bryaxis, who portrayed the god accompanied by Cerberus. The adytum was destroyed in 391 AD. All that remains of the temple is a single column, known as the pillar of Diocletian, and a description of the monument written by Clement of Alexandria.

- The Philippi sundial: A portable time-piece that also served as an astronomical instrument. In addition to measuring time, this device could also measure approximate latitude, azimuth and zenith in the distances of the stars. It was built in Alexandria, on the basis of mathematical and astronomical elements, and is a remarkable attestation to the advanced technology of the period. Vitruvius calls time-pieces of this type "pros ta istoroumena", meaning that they could be used in any of several designated places.