Anthemius of Tralles (c. 474 – before 558) (Greek Ἀνθέμιος από τις Τράλλεις) was a Greek professor of Geometry in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul in Turkey) and architect, who collaborated with Isidore of Miletus to build the church of Hagia Sophia by the order of Justinian I. Anthemius came from an educated family, one of five sons of Stephanus of Tralles, a physician. Of his brothers, Dioscorus followed his father's profession in Tralles; ...
more
Anthemius of Tralles (c. 474 – before 558) (Greek Ἀνθέμιος από τις Τράλλεις) was a Greek professor of Geometry in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul in Turkey) and architect, who collaborated with Isidore of Miletus to build the church of Hagia Sophia by the order of Justinian I. Anthemius came from an educated family, one of five sons of Stephanus of Tralles, a physician. Of his brothers, Dioscorus followed his father's profession in Tralles; Alexander became at Rome one of the most celebrated medical men of his time; Olympius was deeply versed in Roman jurisprudence; and Metrodorus was a distinguished grammarian in Constantinople.
As an architect he is best known for replacing the old church of Hagia Sophia at Constantinople in 532; his daring plans for the church strikingly displayed at once his knowledge and his ignorance. His skills seem also to have extended to engineering for he repaired the flood defences at Daras.
Anthemius was also a capable mathematician. He described the...
less