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We all want to understand the world around us, and the ancient Greeks were the first to try and do so in a way we can properly call scientific. Their thought and writings laid the essential foundations for the revivals of science in medieval Baghdad and renaissance Europe. Now their work is accessible to all, with this invaluable introduction to c.100 scientific authors active from 320 BCE to 230 CE.The book begins with an outline of a new socio-political model for the development and decline of Greek science, followed by eleven chapters that cover the main disciplines:* the science which the Greeks saw as fundamental - mathematics* astronomy* astrology and geography* mechanics* optics and pneumatics* the non-mathematical sciences of alchemy, biology, medicine and 'psychology'.Each chapter contains an accessible introduction on the origins and development of the topic in question, and all the authors are set in context with brief biographies.
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Greek Science of the Hellenistic Era : A Sourcebook Irby-Massie, Georgia L.; Keyser, Paul T. Taylor & Francis Routledge 9780203469866 9780585460734 English Science--Greece--History--To 1500, Science, Ancient, Science--history--Greece. 2002 Q127.G7I72 2002eb 509.38 Science--Greece--History--To 1500, Science, Ancient, Science--history--Greece.
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Page i GREEK SCIENCE OF THE HELLENISTIC ERA We all want to understand the world around us, and the ancient Greeks were the first to try to do so in a way we can properly call scientific. Their thought and writings laid the essential foundations for the revivals of science in medieval Baghdad and renaissance Europe. Now their work is accessible to all, with this invaluable introduction to almost a hundred scientific authors active from 320 BCE to 230 CE. The book begins with an outline of a new socio-political model for the development and decline of Greek science. Eleven chapters of fully translated source material follow, with the disciplines covered ranging from the science which the Greeks saw as fundamental—mathematics—through astronomy, astrology and geography, mechanics, optics and pneumatics, and then on to the non-mathematical sciences of alchemy, biology, medicine, and “psychology.” Each chapter contains an accessible introduction on the origins and development of the topic in question, and all the authors are set in context with brief biographies. No other one-volume survey is as up to date, has such broad yet detailed coverage, or offers as many primary sources—several of which are not available elsewhere. With clear, accurate translations, and numerous illustrations, this is an essential resource for students of the history of science in general, and ancient science in particular. Georgia L.Irby-Massie studied mathematics and classics at the University of Georgia, and took her PhD in classics at the University of Colorado. Her publications include works on ancient religion, Roman epigraphy, and ancient science. She currently teaches classics at Louisiana State University. Paul T.Keyser studied physics and classics at St. Andrew’s School, Duke, and Boulder. He did further study at the Center for Hellenic Studies, and has also taught classics. His publications include work on gravitational physics, and on ancient science. He is currently crafting Java for IBM’s Watson Research Center.
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