Science in the Ancient World: An Encyclopedia

Russell Lawson, William Burns9781851095346, 1-85109-534-9, 1-85109-539-X

Ancient science strove to understand the originsand workings of nature and humanity.Science has encompassed many methods andvaried disciplines over time, occupyinghuman thought for millennia. The questionsthat scientists ask tend to remain constanteven as the answers differ according to timeand culture.The strange and sometimes simpleexplanations that the ancient Greeks andRomans gave for natural phenomena appearless absurd to us when we consider that theanswers of today may appear ridiculous toobservers a thousand years from now.Amongancient scientists—from Mesopotamia,Persia, India, China, Egypt, Greece, andRome—the Greeks were by far the leaders inscientific inquiry because they asked the mostpenetrating questions, many of which stillelude complete answers. (See GREEK ARCHAICAGE; GREEK CLASSICAL AGE; GREEK HELLENISTICAGE; PHILOSOPHY.)

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Table of contents :
Contents……Page 8
Introduction……Page 12
A……Page 28
B……Page 72
C……Page 78
D……Page 90
E……Page 96
F……Page 110
G……Page 112
H……Page 128
I……Page 148
J……Page 154
L……Page 156
M……Page 166
N……Page 192
O……Page 200
P……Page 204
R……Page 240
S……Page 248
T……Page 260
V……Page 270
W……Page 274
X……Page 276
Z……Page 280
Chronology……Page 282
Bibliography……Page 288
Index……Page 296
About the Author……Page 318