science

Hipparchicus

Hipparchicus is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hipparchicus rather than just read about it. In short: Hipparchicus (Ἱππαρχικός, Hipparchikós) is one of the two treatises on horsemanship by the Athenian historian and soldier Xenophon (circa 430 – 354 BC). Other common titles for this work include The cavalry commander and The cavalry general.

Key takeaways

Hipparchicus belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hipparchicus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hipparchicus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hipparchicus (Ἱππαρχικός, Hipparchikós) is one of the two treatises on horsemanship by the Athenian historian and soldier Xenophon (circa 430 – 354 BC). Other common titles for this work include The cavalry commander and The cavalry general. The other work by Xenophon on horsemanship is Περὶ ἱππικῆς, Perì hippikēs, usually translated as On horsemanship, De equis alendis or The Art of Horsemanship. The title De re equestri may refer to either one of the two works. Hipparchicus deals mainly with the duties of the cavalry commander (hipparchus), while On horsemanship deals with the selection, care and training of horses in general.

History The treatises of Xenophon were written in about 350 BC, and were considered the earliest extant works on horsemanship in any literature until the publication by Bedřich Hrozný in 1931 of a Hittite text, that by Kikkuli of the Mitanni Kingdom, which dates from about 1360 BC. A treatise on horsemanship by Pliny the Elder is believed lost, as was that by Simon of Athens, which is twice mentioned by Xenophon in On horsemanship. Some fragments of Simon's treatise survive, however; they were published by Franz Rühl in 1912.

Early editions The first printed edition of Hipparchicus is that in the complete edition of Xenophon of 1516 from the Giunti press:

Begin. Ταδε ̓ενεστιν ̓εν τͅηδε τͅη βιβλͅω· Ξενοφωντος Κυρου Παιδειας βιβλια ηʹ ... Hæc in hoc libro continentur. X. Cyri pedias libri VIII. Anabaseos libri VII.; ... apomnemoneumaton; ... venatoria; ... de re equestri; ... de equis alendis; lacedæmonum resp.; ... atheniensium resp.; ... œconomica; ... hieron.; ... symposium; ... de græcorum gestis libri VII. [With dedication by E. Boninus] (editio princeps). Florentiæ: In ædibus P. Juntæ, 1516 The earliest printing in Greek in England may be:

Ξ. Λογος περι Ἱππικης. Ἱππαρχικος. Κυνηγετικος. Accessere veterum testimonia de X. (Edited by H. Aldrich.)Ἐκ Θεατρου ἐν Ὀξονιᾳ, ᾳχζγ [Oxford: Clarendon Press 1693].

References

Translations Translations include:

(various translators) The whole works of Xenophon London: Jones & Co. 1832, pp. 717–728 (full text)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hipparchicus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hipparchicus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hipparchicus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hipparchicus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hipparchicus

In research: Hipparchicus appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hipparchicus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hipparchicus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Classical horsemanship, Horse management, Horse training, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hipparchicus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hipparchicus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hipparchicus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hipparchicus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hipparchicus in simple terms?

Why does Hipparchicus matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hipparchicus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hipparchicus.