Stamatina Mastorakou

Tina Mastorakou is a Research Scholar in Department III. Her research focuses on the history of ancient astronomy based on literary and archaeological sources. Tina has a BA and MA on History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Athens, Greece, and a PhD from Imperial College, University of London, on the History of Hellenistic Astronomy. She has taught and done research in various places around the world, including New York University, Institute for Research in Classical Philosophy and Science, ETH and University of Zurich. 

Her work focuses on the production and dissemination of astronomical knowledge in the Hellenistic world, with an emphasis on the popular astronomical poem, Aratus' Phaenomena (3rd c. BCE). Through a detailed analysis of the astronomical content of the poem she has revealed that Aratus was not enslaved to his acclaimed source Eudoxus’ Phaenomena, but was a contributor to astronomical knowledge of his time and far beyond. Her findings argue that Aratus’ work facilitated the accessibility and popularity of astronomical knowledge for the first time in the 3rd c. BCE.

As a Research Scholar at MPIWG, Tina is leading the working group “Visualization and Material Cultures of the Heavens in Eurasia and North Africa (4000 BCE–1700 CE)” and working on her project “Representations of Celestial Maps in the Hellenistic World.”