Ancient Greece-The Greeks
Greece, situated in southeastern Europe and characterized by numerous islands and a mainland, traces its roots to the Mycenaean Civilization, which flourished between 1750–1050 B.C.
Ancient Greece is renowned for its philosophers, including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates, intriguingly, claimed to have studied philosophy and medicine in Egypt. Plato also pursued studies in Egypt and various other locations, while Aristotle, Plato’s pupil, is said to have had the opportunity to acquire documents and materials from Egyptian libraries through less scrupulous means.
Archimedes, credited as the father of mathematics, similarly studied in Egypt, though his birth date remains uncertain. This uncertainty notwithstanding, examples abound that highlight the continuous evolution and refinement of mathematical knowledge over millennia.
The Sumerians’ Sexagesimal system, a base-60 numeral system, and the ancient Egyptians’ numeral system for counting and solving mathematical problems through multiplication and division stand out as significant contributions to early mathematics.
The reference to the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt adds an intriguing layer to the narrative. If Greek philosophers like Plato and Archimedes indeed studied in Egypt, one might ponder the importance of the records lost or destroyed during the Library’s demise and speculate on whether remnants of this knowledge remain hidden to this day.
