Questions tagged [middle-ages]
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16
questions
7
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1answer
142 views
Did Ibn Al-Haytham believe that the Moon reflects sunlight or that it is self-luminous?
There are at least two articles about Ibn Al-Haytham in Encyclopedia First and Second
Both these articles have one major difference that is according to the First article:
The Light of the Stars (III ...
2
votes
0answers
62 views
Nachmanides and the Greek proof that the earth is mostly covered with water
In the Biblical account of creation, G-d divided the waters. The rabbi and Biblical commentator Nachmanides wrote about this that he believes the Greek demonstration that the earth is mostly covered ...
2
votes
0answers
96 views
On Ptolemy climes
Reading Dante's Comedy, I was interested in understand a little bit how medieval geography worked, so I decided to have a look at
Edward Luther Stevenson's translation of Ptolemy's Geographia. I've ...
0
votes
1answer
105 views
"Stone of Folly" based on maybe finding and removing brain tumors?
There is a famous painting by Hieronymus Bosch in which someone is being operated on to remove the "stone of folly".
Detail from Hieronymus Bosch's painting titled "Extraction of the ...
6
votes
2answers
157 views
What mathematical problems did the Sicilians need Arab help with in 1229? Did the Arabs solve these problems?
An incident in the negotations of the Sixth Crusade is described as Frederick II asking help from Arab scholars with some mathematical problems:
... and the sultan graciously allowed Frederick to ...
2
votes
2answers
327 views
Who is considered the greatest mathematician between the years 400 AD and 1300 AD? [closed]
Some mathematicians are considered the "greatest of their era". For instance, Archimedes is generally considered the greatest mathematician of Antiquity. Is there any mathematician who stood out ...
1
vote
0answers
58 views
What are other ancient encyclopaedic texts like Pliny's “Naturalis Historia” that were available in medieval times?
The German historian of medieval thought, Kurt Flasch claims in one of his books ("Das philosophische Denken im Mittelalter", my translation "philosophical thought in medieval times") the following:
...
2
votes
1answer
158 views
Was ibn Sina the only Muslim physician who influenced modern medicine?
Well when it comes to Muslim scholars who had influence in medicine the major books and scholars which are referred to is ibn Sina and his Canon القانون في الطب.
But many other Muslim scholars have ...
5
votes
2answers
680 views
When was the diving bell invented?
This question comes from my attempts to give a good answer to the previous question, How was difference in water pressure perceived in ancient cultures or the middle ages?
I know from my childhood ...
9
votes
1answer
185 views
How was difference in water pressure perceived in ancient cultures or the middle ages?
I recently wondered: Even when diving to just 2-3 meters without any modern equipment one can feel the change in pressure. Do we have any evidence how this was perceived and explained back in ancient ...
11
votes
5answers
2k views
I'm looking for books of Muslim scholars/scientists who have had some influence in the development of modern science
In the Golden Age of Islam, Muslim scholars and scientists wrote a lot of books and manuscripts in many sciences such as medicine.
My question is, are there any books which have had some longer (or ...
2
votes
2answers
213 views
Exploring problems about quadratic function (in one variable) across the ages
I'm looking for problems about quadratic function across the ages. For example, in the Babylonian civilization, there are problems which are related with quadratic equation. Besides that, the concept ...
15
votes
2answers
386 views
Was there any exact science or mathematics in the Eastern Roman Empire?
I mean in the Byzantine empire, from the transfer of the capital to Constantinople till its conquest by the Turks, spanning about 12 centuries. Unlike the Western Roman Empire, this one was never ...
11
votes
2answers
646 views
How much did scholasticism contribute to logic and mathematics?
I occasionally encounter mentions suggesting that late middle ages weren't as barren intellectually as commonly believed. For example, Occam and Scotus are credited with developing modal and ...
11
votes
1answer
918 views
Who was Elissaeus Judaeus?
There is an interesting web site called Mathematical Genealogy http://genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/ which lists about 140000 mathematicians with their student-advisor relations. I think that this ...
28
votes
1answer
470 views
Contributions to chemistry from medieval Arabia
A lot of chemical terms such as alcohol, aldehyde, sugar/azucar, amalgam etc. are of Arabic origin.
Did Arabic chemistry in medieval times achieve any scientific insights still valid today (such as '...
