हालांकि उनके जीवन के कुछ ही विवरण ज्ञात हैं, उन्हें शास्त्रीय पुरातनता का एक अग्रणी वैज्ञानिक माना जाता है।
Although few details of his life are known, he is still considered as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity.