born in modern Turkey. He was one of the first Greeks to adopt a scientific approach, seeking natural rather than divine causes for natural events. However, his reputed astronomical achievements are known only via the writings of others. He was said to have used the Babylonian saros to predict a solar eclipse that took place on May 28, 585 bc, but there is little evidence for the prediction or even for the Babylonian saros. According to Aristotle, Thales believed that everything was created from a primordial mass of water.