Science awakening. Egyptian, Babylonian and Greek mathematics. Translated from the 1988 English edition, with a preface and edited by Giannes Christianides (Q2709274)

An elegant masterpiece, van der Waerden's book is too well-known for recommendations. For half a century it has formed a starting point for students of pre-hellenic and ancient Greek mathematics. However, since the 1970s, historiography in these areas underwent significant changes, and the book under review is notorious for the controversies it has raised, as, for instance, in connection with Euclid's so-called `geometric algebra', defended by its author. We hold that this classic work still attains part of its value in initiating a potential historian into ancient Greek mathematics, considering the recent bibliography concerning the above mentioned debates.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEHere we salute the first translation of this volume in Greek, by Dr. Giannes Christianides, responsible also for a new Preface and additional Notes appended in the end for the Greek audience. Based on a careful revision of the original texts quoted by the author, the editor furnishes a superb translation, much wanted in the limited Greek historiography. Calling the reader's attention to the new trends in historiography and the debates which followed van der Waerden's mathematico-logical approach, the editor claims that these debates may be viewed as a serious reason why any novel study of ancient Greek mathematics should be first carried out in comparison with the author's traditional and lucid account (p.xvi). However, the reader is informed rather on the merits than the defects of this traditional account, and several entries of significant and prolific writers, such as W. Knorr or I. Mueller are missing from the bibliographical notes. Moreover, issues, such as that of `proof', the `method of analysis' or the concept of `number' are inadequately stressed.NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEFor all its delay in becoming accessible to the Greek reader and its few above mentioned inadequacies, the book forms an invaluable addition in Greek historiography, potentially inspiring love in the study of ancient Greek mathematics, especially if studied in conjunction with the contemporary texts existing in this field.