Our understanding of science mathematics and medicine today can be deeply enriched by
studying the historical roots of these areas of inquiry in the ancient Near East and
Mediterranean. The fields of ancient science and mathematics have in recent years witnessed
remarkable growth. The present volume brings together contributions from more than thirty of
the most important scholars working in these fields in the United States and Europe in honor of
the eminent historian of ancient science and medicine Heinrich von Staden Professor Emeritus
of Classics and History of Science at the Institute of Advanced Study and William Lampson
Professor Emeritus of Classics and Comparative Literature at Yale University. The papers range
widely from Mesopotamia to Ancient Greece and Rome from the first millennium B.C. to the early
medieval period and from mathematics to philosophy mechanics to medicine representing both a
wide diversity of national traditions and the cutting edge of the international scholarly
community.
