Aratus of Soli (Ἄρατος ὁ Σολεύς) was a Hellenistic didactic poet, born c. 315 BCE in Cilicia [1, 2]. He studied in Athens, associating with the Stoic founder Zeno of Citium and the poet Menander [1, 2, 3]. His primary patron was King Antigonus II Gonatas of Macedon, for whom he composed his famous Phaenomena at the court in Pella [1, 2]. He also spent time with Antiochus I Soter of Syria and died c. 240/239 BCE [1, 2].

His extant masterpiece is the Phaenomena, a didactic poem on astronomy and weather signs composed in epic dialect [1, 2]. Four other works are attested but lost: On the Heavens (Περὶ οὐρανοῦ), On the Rising of the Dog-Star (Περὶ κυνὸς ἐπιτολῆς), On the Rising of the Pleiades (Περὶ πλειάδος ἐπιτολῆς), and Various Hymns (Ὕμνοι διάφοροι) [1].

Aratus’s significance rests on the immense influence of the Phaenomena, a versification of works by Eudoxus and Theophrastus [1, 2, 3]. It was widely read, translated by figures like Cicero and Germanicus, and its opening lines were quoted by the Apostle Paul (Acts 17:28), ensuring its fame in the classical and Christian traditions [1, 2].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: Aratus (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aratus-Greek-poet) 2. Perseus Digital Library: A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Aratus (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Daratus-bio-1) 3. World History Encyclopedia: Aratus of Soli (https://www.worldhistory.org/Aratus_of_Soli/)