ARISTARCHUS, a Grecian philosopher of Samos, one of the first who maintained that the earth revolves round the sun. He was the contemporary of Cleanthes, the successor of Zeno. The opinion ascribed to him with respect to the motion of the earth is not to be found in his only existing work, namely his Treatise of the Greatness and Distance of the Sun and Moon. It was first published at Venice in 1498; and has been reprinted at Oxford, both separately and in the 3d volume of Wallis's works.