Heliodorus of Larissa was a Greek mathematician

Greek mathematics

Greek mathematics, as that term is used in this article, is the mathematics written in Greek, developed from the 7th century BC to the 4th century AD around the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean. Greek mathematicians lived in cities spread over the entire Eastern Mediterranean, from Italy to...

, and the author of a short treatise on optics

Optics

Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...

 which is still extant.

Nothing is known about the life of Heliodorus. He was a native of Larissa

Larissa

Larissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...

, and he must have lived after the time of Claudius Ptolemy, whom he quotes. His short treatise on optics is little more than a commentary on Euclid

Euclid

Euclid , fl. 300 BC, also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I...

. It was edited by one Damianus, who was either his son or his pupil. The first printed edition, in Greek and Latin, was published in Paris in 1657 with illustrative notes by Erasmus Bartholinus.