Description
Most educated people have heard about Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, Homer, Alexander the Great, and (perhaps) Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides, as well as admired the Acropolis and the Venus of Milo. In the sciences, somewill remember having learned about Archimedes and perhaps (vaguely), Pythagoras. However, how many will know Thales of Miletus, Euclid, Ptolemy, Hipparchus, Anaximander, Anaxagoras, Democritus, Epicurus, Apollonius of Perga, Philolaus, and about Aristarchus of Samos, the Greek Copernicus, and Eratosthenes who measured the size of the Earth withan accuracy of a few percent, and a host of others? Ever heard of the over 2000-year old Antikythera Mechanism, considered the first analog computer? This course will be aimed at filling this gap of knowledge and to present the remarkable achievements of Greek science and technology over the period of about 500 BCE to 200 AD in fields like astronomy, physics, mathematics, geometry, and medicine. We will cover the classical period of ancient Greece followed by the Hellenistic period and the Roman Greek period. We will also endeavor to navigate the sometimes meandering cultural path of the information about ancient Greek science that was required in order for this knowledge to reach us, and the unfortunate loss of many of the writings of that noteworthy culture. We will acknowledge the crucial role played by Islamic scholars and the translation schools of medieval Spain to help in the preservation of ancient Greek science.The course will be complemented by informative graphics to help in the understanding of Greek science and technology. Be prepared to be astounded at some of the accomplishments of that culture and their continued influence on our present day science.
Pedro Lilienfeld is an electronics engineer and applied physicist with a life-long interest in Astronomy and Cosmology who became an amateur astronomer at age 15. He is a graduate of a special course in Astronomy under UNESCO auspices. He is presently a consultant and was Principal Science Advisor at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Franklin, MA.
