section_path: Life/Traditional narrative
section_name: Traditional narrative
paragraph_text: Traditional narrative
  
  The English name 'Euclid' is the anglicized version of the Ancient Greek name Eukleídes (Εὐκλείδης). It is derived from ' eu- ' (εὖ; 'well') and 'klês' (-κλῆς; 'fame'), meaning "renowned, glorious". In English, by metonymy, 'Euclid' can mean his most well-known work, Euclid's Elements, or a copy thereof, and is sometimes synonymous with 'geometry'.
  
  As with many ancient Greek mathematicians, the details of Euclid's life are mostly unknown. He is accepted as the author of four mostly extant treatises—the Elements, Optics, Data, Phaenomena —but besides this, there is nothing known for certain of him. The traditional narrative mainly follows the 5th century AD account by Proclus in his Commentary on the First Book of Euclid's Elements, as well as a few anecdotes from Pappus of Alexandria in the early 4th century.
  
  According to Proclus, Euclid lived shortly after several of Plato 's (d. 347 BC) followers and before the mathematician Archimedes (c. 287 – c. 212 BC); specifically, Proclus placed Euclid during the rule of Ptolemy I (r. 305/304–282 BC). Euclid's birthdate is unknown; some scholars estimate around 330 or 325 BC, but others refrain from speculating. It is presumed that he was of Greek descent, but his birthplace is unknown. Proclus held that Euclid followed the Platonic tradition, but there is no definitive confirmation for this. It is unlikely he was a contemporary of Plato, so it is often presumed that he was educated by Plato's disciples at the Platonic Academy in Athens. Historian Thomas Heath supported this theory, noting that most capable geometers lived in Athens, including many of those whose work Euclid built on; historian Michalis Sialaros considers this a mere conjecture. In any event, the contents of Euclid's work demonstrate familiarity with the Platonic geometry tradition.
  
  In his Collection, Pappus mentions that Apollonius studied with Euclid's students in Alexandria, and this has been taken to imply that Euclid worked and founded a mathematical tradition there. The city was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, and the rule of Ptolemy I from 306 BC onwards gave it a stability which was relatively unique amid the chaotic wars over dividing Alexander's empire. Ptolemy began a process of hellenization and commissioned numerous constructions, building the massive Musaeum institution, which was a leading center of education. Euclid is speculated to have been among the Musaeum's first scholars. Euclid's date of death is unknown; it has been speculated that he died c. 270 BC.