science

Nannacus

Nannacus 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 Nannacus rather than just read about it. In short: In Greek mythology, Nannacus (also Annacus; ancient Greek: Νάννακος, Άννακός) was a legendary king of Phrygia before the Flood of Deucalion. His city was Iconium in modern Turkey.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

In Greek mythology, Nannacus (also Annacus; ancient Greek: Νάννακος, Άννακός) was a legendary king of Phrygia before the Flood of Deucalion. His city was Iconium in modern Turkey.

Flood prediction Nannacus himself had predicted the Flood and had organized public prayers to avert this disaster. These prayers were accompanied by lamentations and from this came the proverbial phrase "weep like Nannacus" (ancient Greek: τα Ναννάκου κλαϋσομαι). The earliest attestation of this proverb is from the third century BC. According to Stephanus of Byzantium, Nannacus lived three hundred years. There was an oracle that said that when Nannacus died, all his people would perish. Indeed, shortly after the death of Nannacus (whom his subjects greatly mourned), the Deluge of Deucalion came and thus the oracle was fulfilled. At the end of the flood, Prometheus, on the orders of Zeus, again created "images" (Greek: εἰκόνες/eikones) of people and revived them, from where the name of the place Iconium (Ἰκόνιον) arose.

Mythological parallels

Also in Asia Minor, the city of Apamea (Phrygia) (Apamea Cibotus) had boasted of its connection to the Flood. According to James Frazer,

[Its name] "... Cibotos, which the city assumed, is the Greek word for chest or ark; and on coins of the city, minted in the reigns of Severus, Macrinus, and Philip the Elder (ruled in 244-249 AD), we see the ark floating on water with two passengers in it, whose figures appear from the waist upwards; beside the ark two other human figures, one male and the other female, are represented standing; and lastly, on the top of the chest are perched two birds, one of them said to be a raven and the other a dove carrying an olive-branch. ... the name 'Noe', the Greek equivalent of Noah, is inscribed on the ark. No doubt, the two human figures represent Noah and his wife twice over, first in the ark, and afterwards outside of it." Some scholars have suggested that the patriarch Nannacus was identical to the biblical patriarch Enoch who lived before the flood for three hundred and sixty-five years and was then removed from the world in a mysterious fashion.

See also Ancient Greek flood myths Genesis flood narrative Phrygians

Notes

Bibliography Frazer, James George (1916). "Ancient Stories of a Great Flood". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 46. JSTOR: 231–283. doi:10.2307/2843393. ISSN 0307-3114. JSTOR 2843393. Dillmann August, Die Genesis Erklärt. Leipzig, 1892. p.115 Jacob Bryant, A new system: or, An analysis of ancient mythology. 1807. vol. III, рages 12-14

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nannacus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nannacus 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 Nannacus 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 Nannacus 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 Nannacus

In research: Nannacus 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 Nannacus 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: Nannacus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Flood myths, Greek mythological heroes, Kings of Phrygia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nannacus 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Nannacus” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Nannacus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nannacus 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 Nannacus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nannacus in simple terms?

In Greek mythology, Nannacus (also Annacus; ancient Greek: Νάννακος, Άννακός) was a legendary king of Phrygia before the Flood of Deucalion. His city was Iconium in modern Turkey.

Why does Nannacus 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 Nannacus?

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 Nannacus.