who came up with the theory of continuous matter
Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers Leucippus and his pupil Democritus
Atomic theory
Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers Leucippus
wiki:1586437
Atomic theory [SEP] Philosophical atomism
The idea that matter is made up of discrete units is a very old idea, appearing in many ancient cultures such as Greece and India. The word "atom" (; ""), meaning "uncuttable", was coined by the Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers Leucippus and his pupil Democritus (460–370 BC). Democritus taught that atoms were infinite in number, uncreated, and eternal, and that the qualities of an object result from the kind of atoms that compose it. Democritus's atomism was refined and elaborated by the later Greek philosopher Epicurus (341–270 BC), and by the Roman Epicurean poet Lucretius (99–55 BC). During the Early Middle Ages, atomism was mostly forgotten in western Europe.During the 12th century, atomism became known again in western Europe through references to it in the newly-rediscovered writings of Aristotle.