Flame of Miletus: The Birth of Science in Ancient Greece (and How it Changed the World) - Softcover

Freely, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1788312457 ISBN 13: 9781788312455

Publisher: I.B. Tauris, 2018

Synopsis

Miletus: one of the wealthiest and most important towns in ancient Greece. It was here, on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor, in the 6th century BC, that the great traditions of Greek science and philosophy sparked into life, setting in motion a chain of knowledge that would change the world, forever.

This is the extraordinary story of Greek science from its earliest beginnings through its development in classical Athens and Hellenistic Alexandria and its subsequent diffusion to the wider world. Most histories of Greek science end with the collapse of the Graeco-Roman world in late antiquity and the closing of all classical schools of "pagan" philosophy in A.D. 529. But acclaimed historian John Freely here continues the story to tell of how the elements of Greek scientific and philosophical learning were adopted by the Islamic world and the transmission of Graeco-Islamic science to western Europe, as well as the preservation of Hellenic culture in Byzantium and its profound influence on the European renaissance and our modern world.

About this title

About the Author:

John Freely (1926-2017) was one of the most widely respected writers of travel books, histories and guides about Greece and Turkey. He is the author of The Grand Turk, Storm on Horseback, Children of Achilles, The Cyclades, The Ionian Islands, The Western Shores of Turkey, Strolling through Athens, Strolling through Venice, and the bestselling Strolling through Istanbul (all I.B.Tauris). He lived in Istanbul.

Review:

This is a magnificent book, covering an extraordinary range of topics and a vast sweep of time. John Freely has lived, written, and taught in Greece, Turkey, and Italy for a lifetime, and this experience has given him the rare ability to tell complex stories in a lucid and engaging manner. This is a book everyone should have.

(John Camp, professor of archaeology, ASCS, Athens Stavros Niarchos Foundation Professor of Classics, Randolph-Macon College 2017-07-06)

About this edition

• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1788312457
• ISBN 13: 9781788312455
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256