SIRIUS IN ANCIENT GREEK AND ROMAN LITERATURE: FROM THE ORPHIC ARGONAUTICS TO THE ASTRONOMICAL TABLES OF GEORGIOS CHRYSOCOCCA

摘要

The brightest star of the night sky, is Sirius, Alpha Canis Majoris (a CMa). Due to its intense brightness, Sirius had one of the dominant positions in ancient mythology, legends and traditions. In this paper the references of the many ancient classical Greek and Roman authors and poets who wrote about Sirius are examined, and the problem of its 'red' color reported in some of these references is discussed.