Triangles, parallels, and area: Book 1 Proposition 36
Translations
Τὰ παραλληλόγραμμα τὰ ἐπὶ ἴσων βάσεων ὄντα καὶ ἐν ταῖς αὐταῖς παραλλήλοις ἴσα ἀλλήλοις ἐστίν. Ἔστω παραλληλόγραμμα τὰ ΑΒΓΔ, ΕΖΗΘ ἐπὶ ἴσων βάσεων ὄντα τῶν ΒΓ, ΖΗ καὶ ἐν ταῖς αὐταῖς παραλλήλοις ταῖς ΑΘ, ΒΗ: λέγω, ὅτι ἴσον ἐστὶ τὸ ΑΒΓΔ παραλληλόγραμμον τῷ ΕΖΗΘ. Ἐπεζεύχθωσαν γὰρ αἱ ΒΕ, ΓΘ. καὶ ἐπεὶ ἴση ἐστὶν ἡ ΒΓ τῇ ΖΗ, ἀλλὰ ἡ ΖΗ τῇ ΕΘ ἐστιν ἴση, καὶ ἡ ΒΓ ἄρα τῇ ΕΘ ἐστιν ἴση. εἰσὶ δὲ καὶ παράλληλοι. καὶ ἐπιζευγνύουσιν αὐτὰς αἱ ΕΒ, ΘΓ: αἱ δὲ τὰς ἴσας τε καὶ παραλλήλους ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτὰ μέρη ἐπιζευγνύουσαι ἴσαι τε καὶ παράλληλοί εἰσι: [καὶ αἱ ΕΒ, ΘΓ ἄρα ἴσαι τέ εἰσι καὶ παράλληλοι]. παραλληλόγραμμον ἄρα ἐστὶ τὸ ΕΒΓΘ. καί ἐστιν ἴσον τῷ ΑΒΓΔ: βάσιν τε γὰρ αὐτῷ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει τὴν ΒΓ, καὶ ἐν ταῖς αὐταῖς παραλλήλοις ἐστὶν αὐτῷ ταῖς ΒΓ, ΑΘ. διὰ τὰ αὐτὰ δὴ καὶ τὸ ΕΖΗΘ τῷ αὐτῷ τῷ ΕΒΓΘ ἐστιν ἴσον: ὥστε καὶ τὸ ΑΒΓΔ παραλληλόγραμμον τῷ ΕΖΗΘ ἐστιν ἴσον. Τὰ ἄρα παραλληλόγραμμα τὰ ἐπὶ ἴσων βάσεων ὄντα καὶ ἐν ταῖς αὐταῖς παραλλήλοις ἴσα ἀλλήλοις ἐστίν: ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.
Parallelograms which are on equal bases and in the same parallels are equal to one another. Let ABCD, EFGH be parallelograms which are on equal bases BC, FG and in the same parallels AH, BG; I say that the parallelogram ABCD is equal to EFGH. For let BE, CH be joined. Then, since BC is equal to FG while FG is equal to EH, BC is also equal to EH. [C.N. 1] But they are also parallel. And EB, HC join them; but straight lines joining equal and parallel straight lines (at the extremities which are) in the same directions (respectively) are equal and parallel. [I. 33] Therefore EBCH is a parallelogram. [I. 34] And it is equal to ABCD; for it has the same base BC with it, and is in the same parallels BC, AH with it. [I. 35] For the same reason also EFGH is equal to the same EBCH; [I. 35] so that the parallelogram ABCD is also equal to EFGH. [C.N. 1]