La medida del círculo de Arquímedes: Figura y texto de la proposición 1

Abstract

Starting from the generally recognised fact that Archimedes’ The Measurement of the Circle is not exactly the author’s own original and suffers from many transmission defects, it is proposed that the diagram from Proposition 1 is defective and can, indeed must, be reconstructed. After justifying the proposed reconstruction, conjectures are advanced showing its usefulness and pertinence. An added interest is that, according to Heiberg, the Palimpsest (his manuscript C) begins after the start of the second half of the demonstration of Proposition 1, so that, were this confirmed, the modern work of reading of the Palimpsest currently under way would not shed light on this point.