The ancient Greeks played a fundamental role in the history of mathematics and their ideas were reused and developed in subsequent periods all the way down to the scientific revolution and beyond. In this, the first complete history for a century. Reviel Netz offers a panoramic view of the rise and influence of Greek mathematics and its significance in world history. He explores the Near Eastern antecedents and the social and intellectual developments underlying the subject's beginnings in Greece in the fifth century BCE. He leads the reader through the proofs and arguments of key figures like Archytas, Euclid and Archimedes, and considers the totality of the Greek mathematical achievement which also includes, in addition to pure mathematics, such applied fields as optics, music, mechanics and, above all, astronomy. This is the story not only of a major historical development, but of some of the finest mathematics ever created.
- The first complete history of Greek mathematics and its subsequent influence for a century
- Assumes no more prior knowledge of mathematics than a reader would obtain at secondary school
- Engages the reader with the details of the mathematical proofs and arguments
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Awards
- Short Listed, 2023 Runciman Prize (Anglo-Hellenic League)
Reviews & endorsements
'This is a brilliant, pioneering, breathtakingly ambitious book, written with passion, wit and gusto, a veritable joy to read. Composed by the foremost world expert on Archimedes, it offers new perspectives not just on Greek mathematics but on its significance for our understanding of the rise of Western science as a whole. To this end it brings to bear an extraordinary range of material from non-Greek as well as Greek sources and develops original arguments concerning the fundamental question of why and how Western science developed in the way it did.' Sir Geoffrey Lloyd, Professor of Ancient Philosophy and Science, University of Cambridge
'As a brilliant successor to Heath's A New History of Greek Mathematics of a century earlier, Netz's New History, rather than providing a detailed chronology of the field, tells a compelling story that fits Greek mathematics into the history of the world. The reader will not only learn about the predecessors of the Greeks, but also gain an appreciation of the immense influence Greek mathematics had on the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century and the industrial revolution of the eighteenth century. In between, of course, Netz provides detailed insights into how Greek scholars from Hipparchus to Eutocius developed the concepts that stand at the basis of modern mathematics.' Victor Katz, Professor Emeritus of Ancient Mathematics, University of the District of Columbia
'a lively introduction to ancient Greek mathematics and mathematical astronomy that strives, by the author's signature methods, to help readers glimpse the minds of the iconic thinkers of Greek antiquity.' Michael J. Barany, The Spectator
'In A New History of Greek Mathematics, Netz presents a bold narrative of Greek mathematics. His is not simply an account of Greek geometry or a chronicle of individual mathematicians and their work. It is a new history of western science.' Liba Taub, Times Literary Supplement
'A very interesting and informative book, full of insights into the shaping and evolution of Greek mathematics.' José Ferreirós, Metascience
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Product details
- Date Published: September 2022
- format: Hardback
- isbn: 9781108833844
- length: 540 pages
- dimensions: 235 x 158 x 29 mm
- weight: 1kg
- contains: 58 b/w illus. 2 maps
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
1. To the Threshold of Greek Mathematics
2. The Generation of Archytas
3. The Generation of Archimedes
4. Mathematics in the World
5. Mathematics of the Stars
6. The Canonization of Greek Mathematics
7. Into Modern Science: The Legacy of Greek Mathematics.
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Author
Reviel Netz, Stanford University, California
REVIEL NETZ is Patrick Suppes Professor of Greek Mathematics and Astronomy at Stanford University. He is the author of many books on Greek mathematics and culture, including The Shaping of Deduction in Greek Mathematics (Cambridge, 1999), The Archimedes Codex (co-authored with William Noel, 2007), Ludic Proof: Greek Mathematics and the Alexandrian Aesthetic (Cambridge, 2009) and Scale, Space and Canon in Ancient Literary Culture (Cambridge, 2020).
Awards
- Short Listed, 2023 Runciman Prize (Anglo-Hellenic League)