Ancient Greek and Roman Science: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #731

by Liba Taub

Very Short Introductions : Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring

Ancient Greece is often considered to be the birthplace of science and medicine, and the explanation of natural phenomena without recourse to supernatural causes. The early natural philosophers - lovers of wisdom concerning nature - sought to explain the order and composition of the world, and how we come to know it. They were particularly interested in what exists and how it is ontology and cosmology. They were also concerned with how we come to know (epistemology) and how best to live (ethics). At the same time, the scientific thinkers of early Greece and Rome were also influenced by ideas from other parts of the world, and incorporated aspects of Egyptian, Babylonian, and Indian science and mathematics in their studies.

In this Very Short Introduction Liba Taub gives an overview of the major developments in early science between the 8th century BCE and 6th century CE. Focussing on Greece and Rome, Taub challenges a number of modern misconceptions about science in the classical world, which has often been viewed with a modern lens and by modern scientists, such as the misconception that little empirical work was conducted, or that the Romans did not 'do' science, unlike the Greeks. Beginning with the scientific notions of Thales, Pythagoras, Parmenides and other Presocratics, she moves on to Plato and Aristotle, before considering Hellenistic science, the influence of the Stoics and Epicurean ideas, and the works of Pliny the Elder, Eratosthenes, and Ptolemy. In her sweeping discussion, Taub explores the richness and creativity of ideas concerning the natural world, and the influence these ideas have had on later centuries.

ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: History, Science, Greece, Philosophy

176 pages, Paperback

Published August 25, 2023

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok overview. It felt like the author rattled off facts and introduced figures without explaining the broader context or relevance. Overall unimpressed. This book is liable to leave you with more knowledge, but more confused about the topic.

[Nathalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was asked to write a review of this book for an academic journal. Can’t say I enjoyed it, but I learned a lot.

[N · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disjointed list of things that some ancient Greeks thought and recorded.

Notes
Eudoxus answers Plato’s challenge to explain irregular motion of planets by designing the hippopede orbit: horse-fetter, or figure-of-8.

Aristotle’s 3 epistemes (kinds of rational knowledge) - 1 practical, 2 productive, 3 theoretical which in turn has a. Mathematical b. Physical c. theological.

4 causes to explain things in nature - material (what is it made of), formal (what is it), efficient (how did it come to be), final (what is it for).

2 regions - terrestrial and celestial. Terrestrial has 4 elements, from combination of hot/cold and wet/dry to give earth, water (moving towards center of cosmos) and fire, air (moving away from). The fifth element is of the celestial - aether, whose movement is circular. Aristotle is the first to include study of animals, going beyond humans, his father Nicomachus was court physician to Amyntas III of Macedon. ¼ of his work concerns animals.

Eratosthenes called Beta, because in every branch of knowledge he was brilliant but not no.1. Still, credited with original contributions on problems as wide as astronomy to homeric poems. Doubling of the cube (construct a cube with volume 2x of given cube), which was 1 of 3 classical problems of ancient math - squaring the circle, and trisecting an angle.

Ptolemy distinguishes 2 valid astronomic predictions. 1. Mathematical syntaxis (Almagest - model of motion of planets) 2. Astrology (tetrabiblos - changes that motion of heavenly bodies cause on earth). Galen writes book of astronomical impact on human body - especially effect of moon.

Marx’s doctoral thesis was the difference between Democritean and Epicurean philosophies of nature. Both Heisenberg and Schrodinger published books on early Greek science. H emphasizes that only experimentation and mathematics separates modern science (firmer) than ancient, though the claims of both are very similar (goal to find general principles to explain nature).

[Derek Frasure · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taub gives a good stub-length summary of the major figures and their reception in ancient Greek and Roman science, and little else in this volume. This volume is mostly summary, with little analysis, which is what I was hoping for more of from a scholar of ancient science. One can cast a wider net at a greater depth and catch more sustenance by listening to the Peter Adamson's History of Philosophy podcast's coverage of the names mentioned here. It's a decent starting place, but one picks up most of this knowledge about ancient science already by reading general histories of the period (by reading the other ancient Greek and Roman VSI volumes I'd already encountered most of the information here).

[Sarah F · Rating 1 out of 5]

i hate college