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The Archimedes Codex: How a Medieval Prayer Book Is Revealing the True Genius of Antiquity's Greatest Scientist
At a Christie's auction in October 1998, a battered medieval manuscript sold for two million dollars to an anonymous bidder, who then turned it over to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore for further study. The manuscript was a palimpsest-a book made from an earlier codex whose script had been scraped off and the pages used again. Behind the script of the thirteenth-century monk's prayer book, the palimpsest revealed the faint writing of a much older, tenth-century manuscript. Part archaeological detective story, part science, and part history, The Archimedes Codex tells the extraordinary story of this lost manuscript, from its tenth-century creation in Constantinople to the auction block at Christie's, and how a team of scholars used the latest imaging technology to reveal and decipher the original text. What they found was the earliest surviving manuscript by Archimedes (287 b.c.-212 b.c.), the greatest mathematician of antiquity-a manuscript that revealed, for the first time, the full range of his mathematical genius, which was two thousand years ahead of modern science.
327 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2007
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October 11, 2023
In 1998 a battered manuscript was won at auction for two million dollars by an anonymous buyer. It was a palimpsest – a book that was made from the pages stripped from earlier works where the earlier words were scrapped off and a new text was written over it. This was common practice in medieval times when paper was a valuable commodity. The book that was purchased was a simple thirteenth-century payer book. However, that is not what made the book valuable. The real value was the faint impressions of the much older tenth-century writing buried underneath it. It was the earliest writing of perhaps the greatest mathematicians in history – Archimedes.
Co-written by Reviel Netz – a Professor of Classics at Stanford University, and William Noel – the Curator of Manuscripts at the Walters Art Museum, The Archimedes Codex chronicles the ongoing, decade-long project to discover just how deep the knowledge of Archimedes went. Archimedes was an ancient mathematician born nearly 300 years before the birth of Christ who made discoveries about the nature of mathematics that are only now being fully understood – 2,000 years after Archimedes first wrote them down.
The magic of the Archimedes Codex is that there is no other copy of these specific writings in existence. In fact, even now after ten years of investigation of the text, including the use of brand new technologies never before used for such purposes, they are still discovering more about the extent of Archimedes’ genius.
The writing in The Archimedes Codex itself is nothing spectacular, but it is good enough to get the points across. They do a good job of explaining the importance of the mathematical principles in a way that most people can at least appreciate, even if almost nobody can completely understand it. Even so, there are times when it becomes a really dry read, even for me – and I’m an accountant! What is far more interesting is the preservation and recovery process of the book itself. The simple fact that the book survived this long is amazing. The book is literally falling apart and all of the scientists involved are taking monumental steps to do as little damage to it as they can. The lengths that they have gone to in order to extract the impressions of words buried in the paper are fascinating. Already, they have discovered that Archimedes knew even more about modern mathematical principles then was originally believed.
The Archimedes Codex itself is not a great piece of writing, but the subject is fascinating to learn about. In addition, this should be a cautionary tale of why books should never, ever be destroyed and why preserving ancient manuscripts by digitizing them doesn’t necessarily preserve everything we might someday learn from the book itself. For that reason alone, this is a good book for book lovers and collectors to experience. It made for interesting reading on a truly unique piece of history.
Co-written by Reviel Netz – a Professor of Classics at Stanford University, and William Noel – the Curator of Manuscripts at the Walters Art Museum, The Archimedes Codex chronicles the ongoing, decade-long project to discover just how deep the knowledge of Archimedes went. Archimedes was an ancient mathematician born nearly 300 years before the birth of Christ who made discoveries about the nature of mathematics that are only now being fully understood – 2,000 years after Archimedes first wrote them down.
The magic of the Archimedes Codex is that there is no other copy of these specific writings in existence. In fact, even now after ten years of investigation of the text, including the use of brand new technologies never before used for such purposes, they are still discovering more about the extent of Archimedes’ genius.
The writing in The Archimedes Codex itself is nothing spectacular, but it is good enough to get the points across. They do a good job of explaining the importance of the mathematical principles in a way that most people can at least appreciate, even if almost nobody can completely understand it. Even so, there are times when it becomes a really dry read, even for me – and I’m an accountant! What is far more interesting is the preservation and recovery process of the book itself. The simple fact that the book survived this long is amazing. The book is literally falling apart and all of the scientists involved are taking monumental steps to do as little damage to it as they can. The lengths that they have gone to in order to extract the impressions of words buried in the paper are fascinating. Already, they have discovered that Archimedes knew even more about modern mathematical principles then was originally believed.
The Archimedes Codex itself is not a great piece of writing, but the subject is fascinating to learn about. In addition, this should be a cautionary tale of why books should never, ever be destroyed and why preserving ancient manuscripts by digitizing them doesn’t necessarily preserve everything we might someday learn from the book itself. For that reason alone, this is a good book for book lovers and collectors to experience. It made for interesting reading on a truly unique piece of history.
July 21, 2019
The structure of this book is precious: usually when two authors cooperate, you don't know how they do it, and what is whose. Here's it's dramatically stressed. Very nice.
For more information (in Russian), look here: https://t.me/sictransit/301
For more information (in Russian), look here: https://t.me/sictransit/301
January 5, 2017
This thrilling story about a thrilling book is one of those non-fictional books that is a joy to read. It’s packed full of fascinating information and tells a story of jaw-dropping feats of human ingenuity.
What happened to the Archimedes codex is almost incredible. In 1229, the text on the original 10th century parchments was scraped off, the scraped parchment pages were then split into two and written on before being folded and bound, to create a Christian prayer book. The resulting palimpsest (from the Greek meaning “scrape again”) has suffered the attacks of extreme old age, mould and fire and has lost a few pages.
The Archimedes Codex tells the story of how a team of conservationists, data imaging specialists, scholars in paleography and ancient mathematics toiled together to decipher the astonishing texts and diagrams buried underneath the 13th century writing. Considerable time and expense was devoted to the project, which is ongoing. An anonymous purchaser bought the palimpsest at an auction in 1998 and deposited it at the Walters Museum in Baltimore for conservation and curating. A comprehensive set of imaging data, together with a Google book version the palimpsest are available on www.archimedespalimpsest.org, ensuring that this privately owned treasure is made very widely accessible. Rumour has it that Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame is the mystery benefactor, identified throughout the book only as "Mr B".
Of course, with the benefit of hindsight, we can’t help but pause and wonder whether the 13th scribe who recycled the parchment had any idea of what it had originally contained. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say probably not, after all, three centuries is a long time. But what a parchment to pick. The only known copies of the “Stomachion” and “The Method of Mechanical Theorems” have been recovered from it, as has the only known copy in Greek of the famous “On Floating Bodies”. As well as seven treatises by Archimedes, the work on the palimpsest also revealed texts by Hyperides - a 4th century BCE Athenian speech writer - and a commentary on Aristotle.
Reviel Netz contends that Archimedes had pushed the notion of infinity much further than anyone had so far appreciated, before a few crucial lines were deciphered in the palimpsest. It’s an exciting thought, and a fitting tribute to the wonderful achievement of giving back to the world some deep mathematical analysis that had been lost for over two millennia.
What happened to the Archimedes codex is almost incredible. In 1229, the text on the original 10th century parchments was scraped off, the scraped parchment pages were then split into two and written on before being folded and bound, to create a Christian prayer book. The resulting palimpsest (from the Greek meaning “scrape again”) has suffered the attacks of extreme old age, mould and fire and has lost a few pages.
The Archimedes Codex tells the story of how a team of conservationists, data imaging specialists, scholars in paleography and ancient mathematics toiled together to decipher the astonishing texts and diagrams buried underneath the 13th century writing. Considerable time and expense was devoted to the project, which is ongoing. An anonymous purchaser bought the palimpsest at an auction in 1998 and deposited it at the Walters Museum in Baltimore for conservation and curating. A comprehensive set of imaging data, together with a Google book version the palimpsest are available on www.archimedespalimpsest.org, ensuring that this privately owned treasure is made very widely accessible. Rumour has it that Jeff Bezos of Amazon fame is the mystery benefactor, identified throughout the book only as "Mr B".
Of course, with the benefit of hindsight, we can’t help but pause and wonder whether the 13th scribe who recycled the parchment had any idea of what it had originally contained. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say probably not, after all, three centuries is a long time. But what a parchment to pick. The only known copies of the “Stomachion” and “The Method of Mechanical Theorems” have been recovered from it, as has the only known copy in Greek of the famous “On Floating Bodies”. As well as seven treatises by Archimedes, the work on the palimpsest also revealed texts by Hyperides - a 4th century BCE Athenian speech writer - and a commentary on Aristotle.
Reviel Netz contends that Archimedes had pushed the notion of infinity much further than anyone had so far appreciated, before a few crucial lines were deciphered in the palimpsest. It’s an exciting thought, and a fitting tribute to the wonderful achievement of giving back to the world some deep mathematical analysis that had been lost for over two millennia.
January 19, 2009
This is a well-written and highly readable account of the 20th century discovery and recent high-tech analysis of the Archimedes Codex -- a medieval prayer book that had been constructed by "erasing" and overwriting an 11th century copy of some mathematical writings of Archimedes.
The authors start by boldly asserting that Archimedes was the greatest scientist who ever lived. Well, some of us may quibble that honor should go to Newton, who mathematics dramatically simplified the known laws of motion, and which led to an enormous stream of scientific and technological advances that continue unabated to this day. Others would argue that this honor should go to Einstein (Time Magazine certainly did in awarding Einstein its "Person of the Century" award.) But the authors point out that the work of Archimedes anticipated much of modern mathematics, certainly including the calculus that the Newton many centuries later seized on to formulate the laws of motion.
Most of this book is certainly readable by a person with only modest mathematical background. Hardly any equations appear, etc. But the authors do take the liberty of presenting in detail some of Archimedes' arguments, such as his proof that the center of gravity of a triangle is at the intersection point of the medians, and his derivation of the area of a section of a parabola. I personally found these proof sketches fascinating.
But for those who do not want to focus down and follow these arguments, these portions of the book are easily skipped. You will still be treated to a very interesting historical-scientific-forensic treat.
If you do enjoy this book, another recent book that you will likely also enjoy is "Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World's First Computer" by Jo Marchant. I have also posted a review of this book, which, if anything, is even more fascinating than the Archimedes Codex.
The authors start by boldly asserting that Archimedes was the greatest scientist who ever lived. Well, some of us may quibble that honor should go to Newton, who mathematics dramatically simplified the known laws of motion, and which led to an enormous stream of scientific and technological advances that continue unabated to this day. Others would argue that this honor should go to Einstein (Time Magazine certainly did in awarding Einstein its "Person of the Century" award.) But the authors point out that the work of Archimedes anticipated much of modern mathematics, certainly including the calculus that the Newton many centuries later seized on to formulate the laws of motion.
Most of this book is certainly readable by a person with only modest mathematical background. Hardly any equations appear, etc. But the authors do take the liberty of presenting in detail some of Archimedes' arguments, such as his proof that the center of gravity of a triangle is at the intersection point of the medians, and his derivation of the area of a section of a parabola. I personally found these proof sketches fascinating.
But for those who do not want to focus down and follow these arguments, these portions of the book are easily skipped. You will still be treated to a very interesting historical-scientific-forensic treat.
If you do enjoy this book, another recent book that you will likely also enjoy is "Decoding the Heavens: Solving the Mystery of the World's First Computer" by Jo Marchant. I have also posted a review of this book, which, if anything, is even more fascinating than the Archimedes Codex.
December 2, 2009
Although the author's writing style is not very polished, his enthusiasm for the subject is infectious and you find yourself drawn into the search for the ancient writings of Archimedes that are hidden underneath the text of a twelfth century prayer book. I'm not a math person but I was fascinated by the early mathematical concepts developed by Archimedes. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the history of mathematics and the history of this ancient text. Very cool.
March 5, 2017
Kitabın tanıtım yazısı başka bir kitabınkiyle (Uranyum Savaşları) karışmış... Bu kitabın tanıtım yazısı aşağıda:
Arşimet’in El Yazmaları
Dünyanın En Önemli El Yazmasının Ortaya Çıkışı
Reviel Netz & William Noel / çeviri : Zennur Anbarcıoğlu
Alfa Bilim Dizisi 22
Bu kitapta Stanford Üniversitesinde Antik Bilimler Profesörü Reviel Netz ve Walters Sanat Müzesinin El Yazmaları ve Nadir Kitaplar küratörü William Noel Arşimet'im palimpsestinin olağanüstü macerasını, Arşimet'in kefişleriyle birlikte anlatıyorlar.
1204 yılının Nisan ayında Hıristiyan askerleri Filistin’i kurtarma misyonuyla çıktıkları seferde hedeflerine varamadılar ve Avrupa’nın en zengin kenti olan Konstantinopolis’i yağmaladılar. Atina başpiskoposunun erkek kardeşi Nicetas Choniatesbu katliamı görgü tanığı olarak nakletti. Muhteşem bir kilise olan Aya Sofya'nın (Kutsal Bilgelik) görkemli hazineleri paramparça edilerek askerlere dağıtıldı. Ganimetleri götürmek için katırları kilisenin mabedine kadar soktular. Büyüler ve zehirlerle uğraşan bir fahişe, başpiskoposun kürsüsüne çıkıp müstehcen şarkılar söyleyerek dans etti. Askerler kendilerini Tanrı’ya adamış olan rahibeleri yakalayıp tecavüz ettiler. ‘Oh, ölümsüz Tanrım’ diye ağladı Nicetas, ‘insanların ıstırabı ne kadar büyüktü.’. Ortaçağ savaşlarının iğrenç gerçekleri Konstantinopolis’in üzerine çöktü ve büyük bir imparatorluğun merkezi mahvoldu.
Yağmalanmış kentte insandan çok kitap bulunmaktaydı. Bu hazineler arasında antik dünyanın en büyük matematikçisi ve gelmiş geçmiş en büyük düşünürlerden birinin eserleri de bulunuyordu. Pi sayısının değerini yaklaşık olarak hesaplamış, ağırlık merkezleri teorisini geliştirmiş ve Newton ve Leibniz’den 1.800 yıl önce kakülüsün gelişimine doğru adımlar atmıştı: Adı Arşimed’ti. Kentin yağmalanması sırasında yok olan yüz binlerce kitaptan farklı olarak Arşimed'in metinlerinin bulunduğu üç kitap da kurtuldu.
Arşimet’in uzun serüveni
Arşimet’i önemli bir matematikçi, önemli bir fizikçi olarak günümüze taşıyan ve bu uzun, zorlu serüveni tarihsel bir gerilim romanı tadında anlatan bir kitap: Alfa Yayınları Bilim Serisinden geçtiğimiz ay basılmış olan Arşimet’in Elyazmaları. Reviel Netz ve William Noel tarafından kaleme alınan kitap, Arşimet’in günümüze ulaşan kitabı (palimpsesti) Kodeks C’yi anlatıyor. Reviel Netz önemli bir matematik tarihçisi ve William Noel ise elyazmalarıyla yakından ilgileniyor. Böyle olunca sonuçta çok çekici bir hal alıyor. Kitap bir matematik tarihi derlemesi olarak da kabul edilebilir, Arşimet’in biyografisi olarak da… Ancak bu basit ve anlaşılır bir palimpsest değil. Palimpsestin incelemesi hâlâ sürüyor ve hâlâ yeni şeyler bulunabiliyor. Bulunanlar ise hâlâ dudak uçuklatıyor. Şu ana kadar bulunanlar ve kitabımızın konusu olanlara kabaca değinmek gerekirse,bunların arasında Arşimet’in Newton ve Leibniz’den 1800 yıl önce kalkülüsün gelişimini öngörmüş olduğu, pi sayısının değerini yaklaşık olarak hesaplamış olduğu, ağırlık merkezi teorisini geliştirmiş olduğu gibi modern matematik ve fizikçileri hayrete düşüren keşifler sayılabilir.
Kitap sadece Arşimet’in eserleri olan Kodeks A, B ve C’nin tarihsel sürecini anlatmıyor. Arşimet’ten bu yana geçen sürede Arşimet’in nelere etki yaptığı ve tarihsel sürecin Arşimet’i nasıl etkilediğini de anlatıyor. Palimpsestten sadece Arşimet çıkmıyor. Arşimet’in dönemiyle ilgili birçok bilgi ,birçok kişi de çıkıyor. Antik Yunan’da yaşamış Aristoteles’in çağdaşı hatib Hyperides’in söylevi de bulunuyor, Hıristiyan keşişin Paskalya nedeniyle kiliseye hediye ettiği dua kitabının sayfaları da. Bu durum palimpsesti bir kütüphane kimliğine bürüyor.
Kitap dâhi Arşimet’in kişiliği hakkında da önemli bir kaynak görevi görüyor. Arşimet’i bilindik matematikçi, fizikçi çizgisinden ayırıyor ve onu Siraküza sahillerinde elinde sopasıyla üçgenler çizen bir adam olarak tasvir ediyor. Ne kağıdı ne kalemi ne hesap makinesi var! Devasa papirüslere yazdıkları, sahilde sopasıyla dolaşırken kafasının içinde geliştirdiği düşüncelerden başka şeyler değildi. Tam bir filozof değil mi?
“Arşimet gelmiş geçmiş en önemli bilim adamıdır. Bu sonuca şöyle ulaşmak mümkün: İngiliz filozofu A. N. Whitehead, bir zamanlar ‘Avrupa felsefe geleneği hakkında yapılacak en genel tanımlama, Platon ile ilgili bir dizi dipnottan ibaret olduğudur.’ demişti. Bu şoke edici bir değerlendirme gibi görünebilir ancak aslında oldukça aklı başında bir bildirimdir.…Avrupa bilim geleneği hakkında yapılacak en güvenli tanımlama da onun Arşimet’le ilgili bir dizi dipnottan oluştuğudur. Bu savımla, Whitehead’in Platon ile ilgili söylemiyle aşağı yukarı aynı tür bir ifadeyi kastediyorum. “
Matematiğin fiziğe uygulanışının başlangıç rotasını Arşimet’te buluyoruz. Kalkülüsün başlangıcı, pi sayısının hesaplanması, Stomachion oyununun sırrı, ağırlık merkezi incelemeleri gibi birçok buluş Arşimet’in kumlarından çıkıyor.
“ Modern bilimin yaratıcıları Arşimet’ten şu iki prensibi öğrendiler:
• Sonsuzluğun matematiği
• Matematiksel modellerin fiziksel dünyaya uygulanması. “
Arşimet’in Elyazmaları tüm sırlarıyla, tüm bilinmedik yönleriyle Arşimet’i anlatıyor. Arşimet’i tanıdıkça modern bilime ne kadar yakın bir yerde durduğunu görüyoruz.
“1229 yılında palimpsestin yazıcısı Ioannes Myronas, önündeki parşömenlerden bazılarını kullanmamaya, Stomachion’dan ise tek bir sayfa almaya karar verdiğinde, Arşimet’in kombinatoriks çalışmaları da kaybolmuştu. Kombinatoriksi yeniden keşfedip olasılığı yaratmak on yedinci yüzyıl matematikçilerine kalmıştı. Arşimet Stomachion’ u yazmış olmasa bile onlar nasılsa bunu yapacaklardı. Ancak yine de Arşimet’in örneği olmaksızın bugün sahip olduğumuz tarzda bir bilimin var olabileceğinden şüpheliyim. Matematiksel soyut modellerin fiziksel dünyaya uygulanması buluşunun, Arşimet’e kadar uzandığını görebiliyoruz.”
Arşimet gibi bir dâhiyi günümüze taşıyan ve onun hakkında bilinmedik noktaları ortaya koyan kitap, Arşimet’in Elyazmaları; bir matematik kitabı, bir tarih kitabı, bir fizik kitabı, genel-kültür kitabı, biyografi… Kitap birçok alana hitap ediyor, birçok konuda bilgi veriyor. Arşimet kumlarından yeniden doğuyor.
Arşimet’in El Yazmaları
Dünyanın En Önemli El Yazmasının Ortaya Çıkışı
Reviel Netz & William Noel / çeviri : Zennur Anbarcıoğlu
Alfa Bilim Dizisi 22
Bu kitapta Stanford Üniversitesinde Antik Bilimler Profesörü Reviel Netz ve Walters Sanat Müzesinin El Yazmaları ve Nadir Kitaplar küratörü William Noel Arşimet'im palimpsestinin olağanüstü macerasını, Arşimet'in kefişleriyle birlikte anlatıyorlar.
1204 yılının Nisan ayında Hıristiyan askerleri Filistin’i kurtarma misyonuyla çıktıkları seferde hedeflerine varamadılar ve Avrupa’nın en zengin kenti olan Konstantinopolis’i yağmaladılar. Atina başpiskoposunun erkek kardeşi Nicetas Choniatesbu katliamı görgü tanığı olarak nakletti. Muhteşem bir kilise olan Aya Sofya'nın (Kutsal Bilgelik) görkemli hazineleri paramparça edilerek askerlere dağıtıldı. Ganimetleri götürmek için katırları kilisenin mabedine kadar soktular. Büyüler ve zehirlerle uğraşan bir fahişe, başpiskoposun kürsüsüne çıkıp müstehcen şarkılar söyleyerek dans etti. Askerler kendilerini Tanrı’ya adamış olan rahibeleri yakalayıp tecavüz ettiler. ‘Oh, ölümsüz Tanrım’ diye ağladı Nicetas, ‘insanların ıstırabı ne kadar büyüktü.’. Ortaçağ savaşlarının iğrenç gerçekleri Konstantinopolis’in üzerine çöktü ve büyük bir imparatorluğun merkezi mahvoldu.
Yağmalanmış kentte insandan çok kitap bulunmaktaydı. Bu hazineler arasında antik dünyanın en büyük matematikçisi ve gelmiş geçmiş en büyük düşünürlerden birinin eserleri de bulunuyordu. Pi sayısının değerini yaklaşık olarak hesaplamış, ağırlık merkezleri teorisini geliştirmiş ve Newton ve Leibniz’den 1.800 yıl önce kakülüsün gelişimine doğru adımlar atmıştı: Adı Arşimed’ti. Kentin yağmalanması sırasında yok olan yüz binlerce kitaptan farklı olarak Arşimed'in metinlerinin bulunduğu üç kitap da kurtuldu.
Arşimet’in uzun serüveni
Arşimet’i önemli bir matematikçi, önemli bir fizikçi olarak günümüze taşıyan ve bu uzun, zorlu serüveni tarihsel bir gerilim romanı tadında anlatan bir kitap: Alfa Yayınları Bilim Serisinden geçtiğimiz ay basılmış olan Arşimet’in Elyazmaları. Reviel Netz ve William Noel tarafından kaleme alınan kitap, Arşimet’in günümüze ulaşan kitabı (palimpsesti) Kodeks C’yi anlatıyor. Reviel Netz önemli bir matematik tarihçisi ve William Noel ise elyazmalarıyla yakından ilgileniyor. Böyle olunca sonuçta çok çekici bir hal alıyor. Kitap bir matematik tarihi derlemesi olarak da kabul edilebilir, Arşimet’in biyografisi olarak da… Ancak bu basit ve anlaşılır bir palimpsest değil. Palimpsestin incelemesi hâlâ sürüyor ve hâlâ yeni şeyler bulunabiliyor. Bulunanlar ise hâlâ dudak uçuklatıyor. Şu ana kadar bulunanlar ve kitabımızın konusu olanlara kabaca değinmek gerekirse,bunların arasında Arşimet’in Newton ve Leibniz’den 1800 yıl önce kalkülüsün gelişimini öngörmüş olduğu, pi sayısının değerini yaklaşık olarak hesaplamış olduğu, ağırlık merkezi teorisini geliştirmiş olduğu gibi modern matematik ve fizikçileri hayrete düşüren keşifler sayılabilir.
Kitap sadece Arşimet’in eserleri olan Kodeks A, B ve C’nin tarihsel sürecini anlatmıyor. Arşimet’ten bu yana geçen sürede Arşimet’in nelere etki yaptığı ve tarihsel sürecin Arşimet’i nasıl etkilediğini de anlatıyor. Palimpsestten sadece Arşimet çıkmıyor. Arşimet’in dönemiyle ilgili birçok bilgi ,birçok kişi de çıkıyor. Antik Yunan’da yaşamış Aristoteles’in çağdaşı hatib Hyperides’in söylevi de bulunuyor, Hıristiyan keşişin Paskalya nedeniyle kiliseye hediye ettiği dua kitabının sayfaları da. Bu durum palimpsesti bir kütüphane kimliğine bürüyor.
Kitap dâhi Arşimet’in kişiliği hakkında da önemli bir kaynak görevi görüyor. Arşimet’i bilindik matematikçi, fizikçi çizgisinden ayırıyor ve onu Siraküza sahillerinde elinde sopasıyla üçgenler çizen bir adam olarak tasvir ediyor. Ne kağıdı ne kalemi ne hesap makinesi var! Devasa papirüslere yazdıkları, sahilde sopasıyla dolaşırken kafasının içinde geliştirdiği düşüncelerden başka şeyler değildi. Tam bir filozof değil mi?
“Arşimet gelmiş geçmiş en önemli bilim adamıdır. Bu sonuca şöyle ulaşmak mümkün: İngiliz filozofu A. N. Whitehead, bir zamanlar ‘Avrupa felsefe geleneği hakkında yapılacak en genel tanımlama, Platon ile ilgili bir dizi dipnottan ibaret olduğudur.’ demişti. Bu şoke edici bir değerlendirme gibi görünebilir ancak aslında oldukça aklı başında bir bildirimdir.…Avrupa bilim geleneği hakkında yapılacak en güvenli tanımlama da onun Arşimet’le ilgili bir dizi dipnottan oluştuğudur. Bu savımla, Whitehead’in Platon ile ilgili söylemiyle aşağı yukarı aynı tür bir ifadeyi kastediyorum. “
Matematiğin fiziğe uygulanışının başlangıç rotasını Arşimet’te buluyoruz. Kalkülüsün başlangıcı, pi sayısının hesaplanması, Stomachion oyununun sırrı, ağırlık merkezi incelemeleri gibi birçok buluş Arşimet’in kumlarından çıkıyor.
“ Modern bilimin yaratıcıları Arşimet’ten şu iki prensibi öğrendiler:
• Sonsuzluğun matematiği
• Matematiksel modellerin fiziksel dünyaya uygulanması. “
Arşimet’in Elyazmaları tüm sırlarıyla, tüm bilinmedik yönleriyle Arşimet’i anlatıyor. Arşimet’i tanıdıkça modern bilime ne kadar yakın bir yerde durduğunu görüyoruz.
“1229 yılında palimpsestin yazıcısı Ioannes Myronas, önündeki parşömenlerden bazılarını kullanmamaya, Stomachion’dan ise tek bir sayfa almaya karar verdiğinde, Arşimet’in kombinatoriks çalışmaları da kaybolmuştu. Kombinatoriksi yeniden keşfedip olasılığı yaratmak on yedinci yüzyıl matematikçilerine kalmıştı. Arşimet Stomachion’ u yazmış olmasa bile onlar nasılsa bunu yapacaklardı. Ancak yine de Arşimet’in örneği olmaksızın bugün sahip olduğumuz tarzda bir bilimin var olabileceğinden şüpheliyim. Matematiksel soyut modellerin fiziksel dünyaya uygulanması buluşunun, Arşimet’e kadar uzandığını görebiliyoruz.”
Arşimet gibi bir dâhiyi günümüze taşıyan ve onun hakkında bilinmedik noktaları ortaya koyan kitap, Arşimet’in Elyazmaları; bir matematik kitabı, bir tarih kitabı, bir fizik kitabı, genel-kültür kitabı, biyografi… Kitap birçok alana hitap ediyor, birçok konuda bilgi veriyor. Arşimet kumlarından yeniden doğuyor.
June 18, 2018
Thrilling! Suspenseful! Awe!
Yes, it is a book about the process to reveal Archimedes's lost text in a religious palimpsest. I found following the paths of discovery and revelation mesmerizing. Restricted to reading during school lunch time, I was able to share the joys of discovery with my students.
I recommend to all whether math is your thing or not.
Yes, it is a book about the process to reveal Archimedes's lost text in a religious palimpsest. I found following the paths of discovery and revelation mesmerizing. Restricted to reading during school lunch time, I was able to share the joys of discovery with my students.
I recommend to all whether math is your thing or not.
October 27, 2009
I thought this was pretty fascinating! The writing is very engaging, but really the story of the Archimedes Codex is amazing enough on its own.
The book was written by Will Noel, a curator for the Walters Art Museum, and Reviel Netz, a math and science historian and classics and philosophy professor at Stanford. The two of them alternate chapers. Noel generally focuses on the work done between 1999 and 2007 (when the book was published), by many individuals and using lots of different technologies, to read the Greek text only faintly visible beneath the medieval prayer book text, mold, paint, and general decay; Netz focuses on Archimedes himself--what little is known of his history, the mathematics contained in his various works, and how some of what has been discovered in the Archimedes Palimpsest has actually changed our understanding of history.
I had a few minor problems. Netz has an annoying habit of making concrete statements about things that are subjective, or about things we have no way of possibly knowing, which seems odd in someone talking about math and science. I imagine this type of dramatic language is used in an attempt to sweep the reader up in the story, especially in the parts that focus mainly on mathematical formulas, but maybe I am just too literal for that sort of thing and it mostly just served to irritate me. In addition, I found some of his sentences sloppy and confusing and felt that his chapters could have stood a little more editing.
On the other hand, as someone who is NOT GOOD AT MATH, I found following the various proofs in this book not much problem at all--Netz does a very good job of explaining them for the most part (other than the very first one, which I had to go look up online to be able to figure out what he was saying about the diagram). Being able to follow along really helped me to appreciate why Archimedes and his writings are so important in the history of math and science.
So yeah. Overall, this is a pretty great book on a truly fascinating subject. Totally recommended, if you're into this sort of thing...
The book was written by Will Noel, a curator for the Walters Art Museum, and Reviel Netz, a math and science historian and classics and philosophy professor at Stanford. The two of them alternate chapers. Noel generally focuses on the work done between 1999 and 2007 (when the book was published), by many individuals and using lots of different technologies, to read the Greek text only faintly visible beneath the medieval prayer book text, mold, paint, and general decay; Netz focuses on Archimedes himself--what little is known of his history, the mathematics contained in his various works, and how some of what has been discovered in the Archimedes Palimpsest has actually changed our understanding of history.
I had a few minor problems. Netz has an annoying habit of making concrete statements about things that are subjective, or about things we have no way of possibly knowing, which seems odd in someone talking about math and science. I imagine this type of dramatic language is used in an attempt to sweep the reader up in the story, especially in the parts that focus mainly on mathematical formulas, but maybe I am just too literal for that sort of thing and it mostly just served to irritate me. In addition, I found some of his sentences sloppy and confusing and felt that his chapters could have stood a little more editing.
On the other hand, as someone who is NOT GOOD AT MATH, I found following the various proofs in this book not much problem at all--Netz does a very good job of explaining them for the most part (other than the very first one, which I had to go look up online to be able to figure out what he was saying about the diagram). Being able to follow along really helped me to appreciate why Archimedes and his writings are so important in the history of math and science.
So yeah. Overall, this is a pretty great book on a truly fascinating subject. Totally recommended, if you're into this sort of thing...
February 15, 2010
What an interesting, but tough book to read! As a matter of fact, The Archimedes Codex, written by TWO authors, reads like THREE different books dealing with an unusually overlapping set of ideas.
1. This is about the HISTORICAL journey of the ancient writings of a brilliant Greek scientist/mathematician who died almost 200 years before Christ. Time and politics were not kind to ancient records.
2. This is about unraveling the actual words of Archimedes, from the ONLY surviving source of some of his works previously known only by the allusions later writers made to them. Forgive the pun, but much of this portion was "Greek to me." Literally. And since his Greek words explained his reasoning for many geometric proportions, laying the foundations for modern mathematics, including "the calculus," even the English translations were often just as much "Greek to me." [I did manage to follow most of the diagrams, proudly!:]
3. This is about the scientific struggle to preserve AND decipher the HORRIBLY treated ancient writings themselves. This tenth century copy of Archimedes' writings was chopped in half, its ink scraped away, its pages scrambled, AND its "erased" text written over by a scribe in the year 1229. Over the next 700 years it was also subjected to fire, mold, and greedy forgers who then painted over some of the 1229 prayer book texts!
1. This is about the HISTORICAL journey of the ancient writings of a brilliant Greek scientist/mathematician who died almost 200 years before Christ. Time and politics were not kind to ancient records.
2. This is about unraveling the actual words of Archimedes, from the ONLY surviving source of some of his works previously known only by the allusions later writers made to them. Forgive the pun, but much of this portion was "Greek to me." Literally. And since his Greek words explained his reasoning for many geometric proportions, laying the foundations for modern mathematics, including "the calculus," even the English translations were often just as much "Greek to me." [I did manage to follow most of the diagrams, proudly!:]
3. This is about the scientific struggle to preserve AND decipher the HORRIBLY treated ancient writings themselves. This tenth century copy of Archimedes' writings was chopped in half, its ink scraped away, its pages scrambled, AND its "erased" text written over by a scribe in the year 1229. Over the next 700 years it was also subjected to fire, mold, and greedy forgers who then painted over some of the 1229 prayer book texts!
August 17, 2016
Like several other reviews of this book, I thought it should have been two short volumes instead of one. The two authors tell two stories, alternating chapters between each other. The stories are very different in that Noel tells the story of the actual manuscript over time while Netz focuses on the mathematical content of these found Archimedes items. Their authorial voices are very different so it’s a sudden jerk as you go between chapters. I’m not sure if better editing would have helped as these were just two distinct stories to be told.
Netz’s hagiographic view of Archimedes put me off throughout his chapters. I’m sure this is mostly due to having devoted, necessarily, an incredible amount of time and effort on this one important project. But, it seems as if that focus pushed out other considerations of the material. It seems that Netz knew what he wanted the manuscript to say and then finds examples of his ideas in the material, instead of the other way around. He might be right but I didn’t feel he made his case as best as he could.
Rating this was a bit tough as I was much more interested in the discovery and recovery of this palimpsest. I’d rate the topic a 4. I’d give 3 for Noel’s chapters on the history and work on the physical item. I’d give Netz’s chapters a 1-2. So, overall, I went with 2 for this work.
Netz’s hagiographic view of Archimedes put me off throughout his chapters. I’m sure this is mostly due to having devoted, necessarily, an incredible amount of time and effort on this one important project. But, it seems as if that focus pushed out other considerations of the material. It seems that Netz knew what he wanted the manuscript to say and then finds examples of his ideas in the material, instead of the other way around. He might be right but I didn’t feel he made his case as best as he could.
Rating this was a bit tough as I was much more interested in the discovery and recovery of this palimpsest. I’d rate the topic a 4. I’d give 3 for Noel’s chapters on the history and work on the physical item. I’d give Netz’s chapters a 1-2. So, overall, I went with 2 for this work.
February 6, 2013
Okay, this book is definitely not for everybody, but if you are into archaeological technology, ancient Greece (well, really Sicily, but Greek culture), and especially math, this is an amazing book.
In 1998, a medieval prayer book, believed to be a palimpsest, was sold at a Christie's auction to an anonymous buyer who immediately donated it to an academic team he charged with trying to read the underlying text. Half of this book is about figuring out the imaging technology to read the text, which would have been impossible until recently. The other half is about the content of that text, which turned out to be four lost works of Archimedes, one of which suggests that he discovered calculus almost two thousand years before Newton / Leibniz (I'm not going there!). The chapters alternate between the story of the team trying to reveal the text, and descriptions of the text itself and its significance. Kind of a real-life "People of the Book."
In 1998, a medieval prayer book, believed to be a palimpsest, was sold at a Christie's auction to an anonymous buyer who immediately donated it to an academic team he charged with trying to read the underlying text. Half of this book is about figuring out the imaging technology to read the text, which would have been impossible until recently. The other half is about the content of that text, which turned out to be four lost works of Archimedes, one of which suggests that he discovered calculus almost two thousand years before Newton / Leibniz (I'm not going there!). The chapters alternate between the story of the team trying to reveal the text, and descriptions of the text itself and its significance. Kind of a real-life "People of the Book."
April 9, 2016
Reviel Netz's book was alternatingly a fascinating commentary on how the trail and the contents of a centuries old manuscript was carefully and scientifically peeled apart, layer by layer (at times literally), and a maddeningly long exploration into minutia of Archimedes's style and content.
Netz would have been better advised (and we'd been better off) to have split this book into two volumes. Then book lovers could have had what they were hoping for -- a detective story centered on one of the world's oldest surviving manuscripts (and arguably one of the most important) -- and fans of mathematics could have been transfixed by insights into the thinking of one of history's most important original thinkers.
In this case, the sum of these two interesting halves adds to much less than it could have been. Less would have been more.
>>Support independent bookstores by buying real books from real stores where you can talk with real booksellers.<<
Netz would have been better advised (and we'd been better off) to have split this book into two volumes. Then book lovers could have had what they were hoping for -- a detective story centered on one of the world's oldest surviving manuscripts (and arguably one of the most important) -- and fans of mathematics could have been transfixed by insights into the thinking of one of history's most important original thinkers.
In this case, the sum of these two interesting halves adds to much less than it could have been. Less would have been more.
>>Support independent bookstores by buying real books from real stores where you can talk with real booksellers.<<
October 21, 2019
Excessively detailed geometry. I wanted to know about the book – not so much about the discoveries of Archimedes himself. The two-author approach was at times difficult to follow, as it seemed to arbitrarily bounce between each. The writing self was confusing. For example, their attempt to provide a chronology for the book’s early 1900s history is a Minoan maze. Difficult to follow unless you could keep in your mind whom the various French individuals were and how they came to possess or discard the codex.
What is clear, we owe a debt of thanks to the current owner. Putting aside their ability as nonfiction authors, we owe an equal debt of appreciation to the talented and committed professionals who brought the previously unread writings of Archimedes to light. Their talents and the strength of modern technology is fascinating.
What is clear, we owe a debt of thanks to the current owner. Putting aside their ability as nonfiction authors, we owe an equal debt of appreciation to the talented and committed professionals who brought the previously unread writings of Archimedes to light. Their talents and the strength of modern technology is fascinating.
October 8, 2009
Wow! A fascinating story about a parchment palimpset with text from Archimedes, covered by prayers and in some cases, forged full-page paintings -- how experts managed to "uncover" the ancient Greek to reveal more of the genius of Archimedes than previously known; how experts struggled to read the text when much was missing -- discarded pages, moldy pages, etc. Written by a mathematician and an antique book conservator, the chapters alternate -- those by the mathematician are harder to follow but not impossible. I am in awe!
July 10, 2009
A surprisingly enjoyable read, considering that it had a lot of geometry in it, which for me is rocket science. I saw the Archimedes Codex when it came to the Field Museum and thanks to the authors clear and interesting prose, can now throw around words like palimpsest like I know what it is (basically, somebody wants to write something, has nothing to write on, so scrapes off what another wrote, turns the surface around and writes again - usually something far less interesting than what's underneath - in this case Archimedes' work).
October 24, 2014
La hisoria del palimpesto de Arquímedes. Lo he dejado a la mitad. Lo he encontrado un tanto lento y no he podido más. Sólo recomedaré echarle un ojo a los que gusten de la historia antigua.
May 12, 2016
DNF - had to return to the library before I finished it.
Would definitely borrow it again though, maybe over the summer break.
Would definitely borrow it again though, maybe over the summer break.
June 17, 2018
Early in The Archimedes Codex, Reviel Netz (2007) makes the bold and poetic claim, “The safest general characterization of the European scientific tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Archimedes” (p. 27). In this way, Netz sets the tone and captures both the legend and the importance of Archimedes in western science, history, and culture. For as much as The Archimedes Codex is a narration of the discovery and recovery of Archimedes’ lost works, it is also an argument for his place in western iconography. What Plato is to philosophy, so Netz reasons, Archimedes is to mathematics and science. There is no discipline nor theory nor method that cannot find its antecedents in this scientist’s discoveries. His argument is compelling in its elegance and explanations. Along with co-author William Noel, Netz provides a detailed history of the codex, their processes of preservation and recovery, and their discoveries within Archimedes’ texts. However, the authors’ enthusiasm sometimes leads them to adopt a fanciful language that can undermine their points. Perhaps a more measured tone would not be so easily read nor so appealing to a popular audience, but it would allay some concern with their bolder claims.
Netz and Noel begin with the 1998 Christies auction of the medieval prayer book containing Archimedes’ hitherto unknown Method and Stomachion and the only copy of his On Floating Bodies in its original Greek. The book was in fragile condition after “missing” for ninety years. Showing signs of fire and water damage, mold, and missing pages, the book was a far cry from the relatively well-preserved state reported by the Johan Ludwig Heiberg in 1906, when the Danish historian first discovered the faint Greek writing beneath the medieval script. He was able to read enough to recognize remnants of Archimedes’ work, including geometrical figures. Therefore, when an anonymous private collector purchased the work in 1998, he deposited it with the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, MD for display and to allow researchers to preserve and to possibly recover the ancient scientist’s work. Curator of Manuscripts William Noel quickly recruited Netz, a Classics professor at Stanford University and Archimedes expert, as well as a team of imagining experts and preservationists.
Besides its fragile condition, a major obstacle was the format of the book itself – the palimpsest. The palimpsest is a parchment or vellum based book, stitched together from many older scrolls or books after being scraped clean of previous writing. Since parchment was expensive and the animal hide sturdy and elastic, this was the preferred method for transcribing works in medieval monasteries. In the early thirteenth century, this was the fate of Archimedes manuscripts in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). Fortunately, for Netz, Noel, and their team, the medieval scribe was not entirely successful.
Netz and Noel proceed to describe the painstaking process of taking apart the ancient stitching to recover the writing hidden by bindings and the book’s spine and the development of an imaging process to capture that writing without disturbing the religious text. Their aim was to recover without destroying – a process which took an entire decade. Their team developed important methods which is and will be useful to other book historians and preservationists. In particular, the team developed a multispectural imagining process that recovers faint images beneath the "scraped" surface of vellum manuscripts without damaging pages or the "dominant" script. This is, of course, invaluable to other scholars in museums and the digital humanities attempting to recover other works beneath medieval prayer books. After all, this book is essentially a work of historical recovery, particular of scientific scholarly communication, bridging a gap between the ancient, medieval, and present world of scientific communication.
These sections can sometimes be a little dry, but they illustrate the complex of archivists and preservationists. Conversely, at times, it can also be a breathless race against time. It is a curious mix of styles that, for the most part succeeds. It also highlights the mix of the authors’ target audience – general and scholarly readers. Such an approach allows for explanations of Archimedes’s findings that an average reader or a non-scientist can appreciate and follow, if not always understand. In fact, it allows Netz the opportunity to explain the visual culture of ancient Greek mathematics, in which diagrams composed the language instead of equations. This is where Netz excels, in his ability to be clear and visual in his explanations, even when explaining the mathematical principles behind the concept of infinity and how Archimedes arrived at that mathematical proof millennia before anyone else (a fact uncovered by the palimpsest).
That said, Netz tends to make claims not always sufficiently supported by evidence. For example, after linguistically examining Archimedes’s name by breaking it down into its separate parts, meaning “principle, rule, number one” and “mind, wisdom, wit,” he claims that Archimedes’s father so chose that name for its philosophical importance (p. 36). He does not cite tradition or other sources for Archimedes’s biography. In fact, he dismisses ancient sources, because there is no contemporary nor external evidence to support them. This marks a weakness for the entire book. Neither Netz nor Noel use footnotes, which can lead a reader to question their assertions – particularly those claims regarding the breadth of Archimedes’s influence. They explain, but they do not cite. One glaring incident of this failing comes with Noel’s history of the palimpsest, in which he relates Heiberg’s work in 1906, but does not cite him nor the scholars or historians who haven written about Heiberg’s contributions. This lack of citation is uncomfortable for the scholarly reader. The authors provide a short “further reading” list at the end of the book, though it lacks the breadth needed to cover this topic.
The book can also be confusing at times. Netz and Noel alternate chapters with Noel covering preservation and book history and Netz relating the content of their discoveries and explanations of Archimedes’s texts. However, the chapters are not marked by either author and since each chapter pivots from process to discovery, the narrative is jointed. It takes the reader a few chapters to recognize each author’s voice. The book would have been perhaps better served by a Part I with Mr. Noel and a Part II with Dr. Netz. History and preservation process to discovery and explanation – this would have been a more logical and easier read. Still, even with these drawbacks and reservations, it was an eloquent, beautiful read.
The Archimedes Codex also includes 42 color images. Most of these images are the codex itself throughout the ten-year project, including several of the imaging process. These images are the most fascinating, as the reader can see as the Greek writing as it emerges. Readers may also view more images and a video on the multispectral imaging process at the project and exhibit website www.archimedespalimpsest.org.
Netz and Noel begin with the 1998 Christies auction of the medieval prayer book containing Archimedes’ hitherto unknown Method and Stomachion and the only copy of his On Floating Bodies in its original Greek. The book was in fragile condition after “missing” for ninety years. Showing signs of fire and water damage, mold, and missing pages, the book was a far cry from the relatively well-preserved state reported by the Johan Ludwig Heiberg in 1906, when the Danish historian first discovered the faint Greek writing beneath the medieval script. He was able to read enough to recognize remnants of Archimedes’ work, including geometrical figures. Therefore, when an anonymous private collector purchased the work in 1998, he deposited it with the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, MD for display and to allow researchers to preserve and to possibly recover the ancient scientist’s work. Curator of Manuscripts William Noel quickly recruited Netz, a Classics professor at Stanford University and Archimedes expert, as well as a team of imagining experts and preservationists.
Besides its fragile condition, a major obstacle was the format of the book itself – the palimpsest. The palimpsest is a parchment or vellum based book, stitched together from many older scrolls or books after being scraped clean of previous writing. Since parchment was expensive and the animal hide sturdy and elastic, this was the preferred method for transcribing works in medieval monasteries. In the early thirteenth century, this was the fate of Archimedes manuscripts in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). Fortunately, for Netz, Noel, and their team, the medieval scribe was not entirely successful.
Netz and Noel proceed to describe the painstaking process of taking apart the ancient stitching to recover the writing hidden by bindings and the book’s spine and the development of an imaging process to capture that writing without disturbing the religious text. Their aim was to recover without destroying – a process which took an entire decade. Their team developed important methods which is and will be useful to other book historians and preservationists. In particular, the team developed a multispectural imagining process that recovers faint images beneath the "scraped" surface of vellum manuscripts without damaging pages or the "dominant" script. This is, of course, invaluable to other scholars in museums and the digital humanities attempting to recover other works beneath medieval prayer books. After all, this book is essentially a work of historical recovery, particular of scientific scholarly communication, bridging a gap between the ancient, medieval, and present world of scientific communication.
These sections can sometimes be a little dry, but they illustrate the complex of archivists and preservationists. Conversely, at times, it can also be a breathless race against time. It is a curious mix of styles that, for the most part succeeds. It also highlights the mix of the authors’ target audience – general and scholarly readers. Such an approach allows for explanations of Archimedes’s findings that an average reader or a non-scientist can appreciate and follow, if not always understand. In fact, it allows Netz the opportunity to explain the visual culture of ancient Greek mathematics, in which diagrams composed the language instead of equations. This is where Netz excels, in his ability to be clear and visual in his explanations, even when explaining the mathematical principles behind the concept of infinity and how Archimedes arrived at that mathematical proof millennia before anyone else (a fact uncovered by the palimpsest).
That said, Netz tends to make claims not always sufficiently supported by evidence. For example, after linguistically examining Archimedes’s name by breaking it down into its separate parts, meaning “principle, rule, number one” and “mind, wisdom, wit,” he claims that Archimedes’s father so chose that name for its philosophical importance (p. 36). He does not cite tradition or other sources for Archimedes’s biography. In fact, he dismisses ancient sources, because there is no contemporary nor external evidence to support them. This marks a weakness for the entire book. Neither Netz nor Noel use footnotes, which can lead a reader to question their assertions – particularly those claims regarding the breadth of Archimedes’s influence. They explain, but they do not cite. One glaring incident of this failing comes with Noel’s history of the palimpsest, in which he relates Heiberg’s work in 1906, but does not cite him nor the scholars or historians who haven written about Heiberg’s contributions. This lack of citation is uncomfortable for the scholarly reader. The authors provide a short “further reading” list at the end of the book, though it lacks the breadth needed to cover this topic.
The book can also be confusing at times. Netz and Noel alternate chapters with Noel covering preservation and book history and Netz relating the content of their discoveries and explanations of Archimedes’s texts. However, the chapters are not marked by either author and since each chapter pivots from process to discovery, the narrative is jointed. It takes the reader a few chapters to recognize each author’s voice. The book would have been perhaps better served by a Part I with Mr. Noel and a Part II with Dr. Netz. History and preservation process to discovery and explanation – this would have been a more logical and easier read. Still, even with these drawbacks and reservations, it was an eloquent, beautiful read.
The Archimedes Codex also includes 42 color images. Most of these images are the codex itself throughout the ten-year project, including several of the imaging process. These images are the most fascinating, as the reader can see as the Greek writing as it emerges. Readers may also view more images and a video on the multispectral imaging process at the project and exhibit website www.archimedespalimpsest.org.
October 29, 2019
This book is the Portuguese translation of the English original "The Archimedes Codex". The wonderful tale of the (re)discovery of the Archimedes Palimpsest, of the research that allowed us to read Archimedes' text, and of what we have learned (so far) from it. The book intersperses chapters about the book as an object (its history as well as the techniques for its restoration and study) with chapters about Archimedes and his mathematics. Of course the part about the history of the book is jaw dropping, but those chapters concerning Archimedes' mathematics, both of what was already known and of those parts unique to the Palimpsest (the actual infinity in the Method, and the combinatorics in the Stomachion) are truly great. Our mind really boggles when thinking either about the geniality of Archimedes' thought in the 3rd century BCE, the incredibly hazards this manuscript (a copy probably written twelve centuries after his death) has suffered, and the extraordinary refinement of the late 20th century technology that was needed in order to recover the original text and to have in from of us the words written twenty three centuries ago by one of the most genial minds that has ever lived.
February 15, 2023
I really, really liked this book. It is absolutely loaded with info about manuscripts, parchment, scrolls, codexes, i.e. modern books, ancient math and science, modern math and science, book and manuscript preservation, deciphering and translation, analog and digital image processing, etc.
Having given the book such a rave review (by my standards) I should mention that the writing style is a bit odd. For one thing, the two authors chose to write alternating chapters, each one in the first person. While there is nothing horribly wrong with this, it does make for abrupt stylistic changes at chapter boundaries -- the technique is just unusual enough that the reader is constantly reminded of it and aware of it. Also, the style of the early chapters (at least) is a bit breathless and overdone. It is true that the book describes a long list of breath-taking events, but it seems to me that the facts should be allowed to speak for themselves without the style becoming emotive. Perhaps the authors could not help themselves in their excitement about the project, but their editor certainly could have fixed the overly emotional passages.
Having given the book such a rave review (by my standards) I should mention that the writing style is a bit odd. For one thing, the two authors chose to write alternating chapters, each one in the first person. While there is nothing horribly wrong with this, it does make for abrupt stylistic changes at chapter boundaries -- the technique is just unusual enough that the reader is constantly reminded of it and aware of it. Also, the style of the early chapters (at least) is a bit breathless and overdone. It is true that the book describes a long list of breath-taking events, but it seems to me that the facts should be allowed to speak for themselves without the style becoming emotive. Perhaps the authors could not help themselves in their excitement about the project, but their editor certainly could have fixed the overly emotional passages.
July 25, 2021
This is a hard book to rate, and I agree with other reviewers that it might have been a better idea to split this into two books. The parts that fascinated me the most were the sections written by William Noel about the actual restoration of the book. These chapters read like a non-fiction version of Dan Brown or Daniel Silva. The sections written by Reviel Netz on the "math" were much too detailed and pedagogical. I found myself skimming many of those chapters.
Check out Noel's TED talk on the palimpsest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqtEp...
Check out Noel's TED talk on the palimpsest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqtEp...
March 8, 2024
Kitap tamamen Arşimet in palipmsesti yani elyazması üzerinde yapılan araştırmaları ve okunabilen içeriği anlatıyor. Oysa ben tarihimizin en büyük bilim adamlarından biri olan Arşimet in hayatı hakkında da da biraz daha bilgi sahibi olmak isterdim.
Anlatımın tamamen geometri matematik ve elyazmasının okunması sırasında kullanılan teknikler üzerinde olması yer yer çok sıkıcı geldi.
Evet büyük bir emek kesinlikle var ama bu biraz da Arşimet in hayatına dair kesitler ile keyifli hale getirilebilirdi.
Anlatımın tamamen geometri matematik ve elyazmasının okunması sırasında kullanılan teknikler üzerinde olması yer yer çok sıkıcı geldi.
Evet büyük bir emek kesinlikle var ama bu biraz da Arşimet in hayatına dair kesitler ile keyifli hale getirilebilirdi.
September 22, 2024
Fascinating account
This book is an account of the detective work spanning many disciplines which led to revealing much of the text which is obscured by a medieval prayer book and other twentieth-century "forgeries". The author explains the basics of the maths Archimedes wrote about. His enthusiasm for the subject is infectious, and he explains how it anticipated later science, especially Galileo and Newton. A great summary of a decade's work mainly done by professionals in their spare time.
This book is an account of the detective work spanning many disciplines which led to revealing much of the text which is obscured by a medieval prayer book and other twentieth-century "forgeries". The author explains the basics of the maths Archimedes wrote about. His enthusiasm for the subject is infectious, and he explains how it anticipated later science, especially Galileo and Newton. A great summary of a decade's work mainly done by professionals in their spare time.
February 28, 2019
This book was the first time I ever sat stunned by the beauty and absolutely genius of math, specifically how Archimedes measured the area under a parabola using rectilinear shapes. Don't get me wrong, I don't usually go crazy over math, but this was the first time I ever been in awe of mathematics and of those who have the great minds to understand and invent these theorems. An incredible book.
May 12, 2024
3.5 stars.
I was expecting a 'murder-mystery' about the provenance and acquisition of the Archimedes Codex. Instead it was more about the efforts of scientists figuring out how to read the long-faded hidden figures in the poorly preserved manuscript. Not uninteresting, especially if you're into that sort of thing, which I kind of am. But also not really a page turner. The writing itself was ok, but could have done with some professional polish.
I was expecting a 'murder-mystery' about the provenance and acquisition of the Archimedes Codex. Instead it was more about the efforts of scientists figuring out how to read the long-faded hidden figures in the poorly preserved manuscript. Not uninteresting, especially if you're into that sort of thing, which I kind of am. But also not really a page turner. The writing itself was ok, but could have done with some professional polish.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2024
Bu yıl içinde okuduğum kitaplar arasında favorim diyebilirim. Arşimet'in dünyasına açılan bir dünya üzerinden, bir metnin günümüze gelmesindeki zorluğu çok iyi ortaya koymuşlar. Antikçağ'dan Ortaçağa yazım teknikleri, katiplerin çalışma şekilleri ve en önemlisi bir yazının başına gelebilecekler anlatılıyor. Bu anlatımı yaparken sizi bir dedektif romanı okuyor hissine de sokmayı başardığı için ayrı bir zevk alıyorsunuz kitaptan.
May 3, 2019
A great read. Not least because I was unfamiliar with the artifact so did not know how the story would end. Great blend of Greek linguistics, mathematics, science and a rollicking ride through history. Reminded me very much of The Turin Shroud.
May 16, 2020
A deep dive into a palimpsest- uncovering the words of a lost codex by Archimedes a couple thousand years after the fact - what was uncovered and how it was done. VERY technical and lots of mathematics- but not understanding it all does not take away from the wonder of this discovered document and how ahead of his time Archimedes really was.
August 15, 2021
Very entertaining book about how the Archimedes Codex was (re-)discovered & interpreted, co-written by the two men who were the major actors in this. Not only is the codes inherently interesting, but apparently it showed that Archimedes had been much more advanced in mathematics than historians had realized.
August 13, 2023
What an amazing discovery! Particularly interesting for those who have read or studied Archimedes. The modern day incredible finding is consistent with the mathematic marvels he demonstrated during his time, like the giant mirrors he created to burn ships that were invading his city of Siracusa.
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