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The ancient Greeks primarily utilized the geocentric model to describe celestial motions. This model posits that the Earth is at the center of the universe, with all celestial bodies, including the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets, orbiting around it. This concept was widely accepted due to philosophical beliefs and observations that seemed to support a stationary Earth, such as the fact that we do not feel the Earth moving and that the Sun and stars appear to rise and set around us.
Prominent philosophers like Aristotle and later astronomers like Ptolemy contributed to this model, refining it over time to account for the observed complexities of planetary movement through the introduction of epicycles—small circles along which planets move while orbiting the Earth. This model remained dominant for many centuries until the heliocentric model proposed by Copernicus gained acceptance during the Renaissance, which presented a sun-centered universe.
The other models mentioned do not accurately reflect the prevailing views of ancient Greek astronomy. The flat Earth model, for instance, is a misconception and not representative of Greek thought, as many Greeks understood that the Earth was spherical. The universal model is more modern and does not refer to any specific ancient theory regarding celestial motions. Therefore, the geocentric model stands