hiː wʌz ɐn ˈæmətʃɚ mˌæθɪmɐtˈɪʃən hˌuː bɪkˌeɪm ˈɪntɹɛstᵻd ɪn ɐ pɹˈɑːbləm ðæt dˈeɪts tə mˈɛdɪˌiːvəl tˈaɪmz, ɪf nˌɑːt ˈɜːlɪɚ, ðə pɹˈɑːbləm ʌvðə pˈɔɪnts.
He was an amateur mathematician who became interested in a problem that dates to medieval times, if not earlier, the problem of the points.