The non-spherical shape of the Sun has been invoked to explain the anomalous procession of Mercury. A brief history of some methods for measuring the solar diameter is presented. Archimedes was the first to give upper and lower values for the solar diameter in the third century before Christ. Then there followed the method of total eclipses, used after Hallev s observative campaign of 1715 eclipse, ^o will also discuss the variant of partial eclipses, useful to measure different chords of the solar disk and the method of Dicke. which correlates oblateness with luminous excess in the equatorial zone.
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