WHAT IT IS

The Sphere of Democritus is a prognostic method for the sick. You take the lexarithmos of the patient's name, add the lunar day they fell ill, and with a simple division determine whether they will "live" or "die." This is an ancient divinatory tool — NOT medical advice.

HISTORY & SOURCES

The method was found in the Greek Magical Papyri (Papyri Graecae Magicae, PGM XII.351–364), a collection of magical texts from the 2nd–5th cent. AD discovered in Egypt.

It is attributed to "Democritus" — not the philosopher Democritus of Abdera (5th cent. BC), but the so-called pseudo-Democritus, a pseudepigraphon of the Hellenistic period. It was common in antiquity to attribute texts to famous philosophers to gain authority.

It is closely related to the "Circle of Petosiris" — Petosiris was an Egyptian priest to whom astrological and divinatory works were attributed. The Circle divides outcomes into 6 categories instead of 2, giving more detailed prognosis.

The lunar day is counted from the Noumenia (first visible moon after the new moon) — in practice, the day the patient took to bed.

SPHERE OF DEMOCRITUS — OUTCOMES

LIVES	1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 26, 27
DEATH	5, 6, 8, 12, 15, 18, 21, 22, 24, 28, 29, 30

HOW IT WORKS

Step 1 — Calculate the lexarithmos of the name
Step 2 — Add the lunar day (1–30)
Step 3 — Divide the sum by 30
Step 4 — Keep the remainder (if 0, it becomes 30)
Step 5 — Look up the number in the table: LIVES or DEATH
Example: ΠΟΛΥΦΑΝΗΣ = 1339, day 12
1339 + 12 = 1351, 1351 ÷ 30 = 45 rem. 1
Remainder 1 → LIVES (recovery)

CONCLUSION

The Sphere of Democritus is a historical divinatory tool from the Egyptian-Greek tradition. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or prognosis. It is presented here exclusively as testimony of ancient practices.