Byzantine science was based on the abundant material inherited from antiquity, especially from the Alexandrian schools and, in contrast to the West, Byzantine scholars were never cut off from this great scientific heritage. Founded on the Tetraktys ton mathematony or quadrivium of sciences (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music), scientific studies in Byzantium used the work of writers such as Euclid, ApoUonios, Archimedes, Ptolemy, Pappos, Theon of Alexandria, Diophantos, Heron or, at a more elementary level, Cleomedes, Geminos, Theodosios, Autolykos, Theon of Smyrna. Education in these areas of the quadrivium was refined in varying degrees throughout Byzantine history, but reached its apogee in the Palaiologan period when the ancient scientific treatises were not only studied, but also edited and corrected to result in what are called ‘Byzantine recensions’.
The heritage from antiquity was considerably enlarged by contributions from outside the empire, from the Arabs, Persians, Latins, or Jews. Byzantium thus appears as a crossroad between the Greek scientific tradition and foreign influences. Genuine Byzantine creations are rare, largely because Byzantine scholars were essentially polymaths rather than specialized researchers. In terms of their language, Byzantine writings on science fall into two categories: works written in a form of Greek which more or less approximates to ancient Greek, and works written in the vernacular. Generally speaking, the traditional ‘noble’ matters were treated in the classical language while practical manuals (e. g. lists of plants, astrological recipes, collections of arithmetical problems, etc.) were written in vernacular Greek. Some texts translated from a foreign language (Arabic, Persian, or Latin) are no more than a literal transposition of the original language with foreign technical words written in Greek letters.
World History
