With a passion for mathematics and history, Marc Moyon studies how scientific knowledge and practices travelled from the Greco-Roman world and the lands of Islam to Europe. A skilled translator of mathematical texts, he shares his experience with us.
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The Latin translation movement of Arabic mathematical texts is marked by the towering figure of Gerard of Cremona. His monumental body of work brought a scientific revival to the Latin West.
A movement that began in the twelfth century, the Latin translations and adaptations of Arabic mathematical texts were not merely a bridge between ancient Greek texts and the medieval West: they were also an opportunity to benefit from the formidable advances made by the Islamic world.
Arabic-Islamic mathematics developed against a fascinating historical and geopolitical backdrop, shaped in particular by the importance of the Abbasid dynasty, the role of the House of Wisdom, and diplomatic and intellectual ties with neighboring cultures.
Mathematical recreations feature prominently in the Arab-Islamic tradition, yet they do not appear to have been collected in dedicated anthologies. Some examples, very well known in Europe, pose a real challenge to historians seeking to trace how they circulated.
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