A History of Greek Mathematics: Volume 1

Published in 1921 and aimed at mathematicians and classicists, this rigorous two-volume work traces ancient Greek mathematics from Thales of Miletus to the achievements of the Alexandrian algebraists. Volume 1 includes an introduction and a section on numerical notation and arithmetical operations. The coverage begins with Thales and extends to Euclid.

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'If one would understand the Greek genius fully, it would be a good plan to begin with their geometry.' As early as the sixth century BCE, Thales of Miletus used geometrical principles to calculate distance and height. Within a few hundred years, Euclid had produced his seminal Elements, which was still used as a textbook when this two-volume work was first published in 1921. A distinguished civil servant as well as an expert on ancient Greek mathematics, Sir Thomas Little Heath (1861–1940) includes here sufficient detail for a modern mathematician to grasp ancient methodology, alongside explanatory sections aimed at classicists. This remains a rigorous and essential exposition of a vast topic. Volume 1 includes an introduction that touches on the conditions which made possible the rapid development of philosophy and science in ancient Greece. The coverage begins with Thales and ends with Euclid.