Medieval Science and Technology

Book flyer
MS Word
International
MS Word

Elspeth Whitney

ISBN: 0-313-32519-7

ISBN-13: 978-0-313-32519-9

DOI:

304 pages

Greenwood Press

Publication: 10/30/2004

List Price: $49.95 (UK Sterling Price: £34.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Series Title: Greenwood Guides to Historic Events of the Medieval World

Description: Medieval science and technology was firmly rooted in Aristotelian explanations of the physical world. This book begins by introducing the basic concepts of the classical tradition, and explains how these ideas were promulgated by the ancient Greeks, preserved and commented on by the great Muslim scholars of the early middle ages, and finally transmitted to western Europe as that region began to grow and expand around 1100 C.E. Specific avenues of inquiry such as astronomy and astrology, optics, chemistry and alchemy, zoology, geography, and medicine are described on their own terms. Rounding out the work is a discussion of the many technological innovations of the medieval age, such as mechanical clocks, firearms, and the blast furnace, that profoundly altered the course of European and world history. Biographical sketches provide insight into the lives and accomplishments of 20 men and women, Christian, Muslim, and pagan, whose works profoundly shaped the era's scientific spirit. Eleven annotated key primary documents afford a fascinating glimpse into how the best minds of the time posed their questions and their answers. An annotated timeline, glossary of terms, several illustrations, and an annotated bibliography round out the work.

Medieval scientists, or natural philosophers, as they were then called, were powerfully influenced by the authority of older traditions, including Christianity and scientific ideas dating back to Plato, Aristotle, and Ptolemy. Yet their respect for these traditions was balanced by an equal respect for reason and the spirit of inquiry. Religious faith, far from dampening scientific and technological innovation, actually buttressed their efforts to understand the natural world as it was generally taken for granted that knowledge acquired through reason would harmonize with religious beliefs. While medieval science and technology did not seek to overthrow the prevailing worldviews of the time, their accomplishments did lay the groundwork for the scientific revolution and European global expansion of the early modern age.

Table of Contents:

List of Illustrations
Glossary
Series Foreword
Preface
Chronology of Events
Overview and History: The Classical Tradition and the Early Middle Ages
Institutional History: The High and Late Middle Ages
Aristotle's Natural Philosophy and the Medieval Scientific World View
The Exact Sciences: Mathematics, Astronomy and Cosmology, Astrology, Statics, Kinematics and Dynamics, Optics
The Biological and Earth Sciences: The Sciences of Matter (Chemistry and Alchemy), Medicine, Zoology, Botany, Geology and Meteorology, Geography
Medieval Technology
The Impact of Medieval Science and Technology
Biographies
Primary Documents
Annotated Bibliography

About the Author: ELSPETH WHITNEY is Associate Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is the author of Paradise Restored: The Mechanical Arts from Antiquity through the 13th Century (1990), and she has published articles in Annals of Scolarship, Medieval Latin Studies, Journal of Women's History, and Women in Medieval Culture.

LCC Class: 509


All rights reserved. Copyright © 1999-2009 ABC-CLIO 130 Cremona Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93117, 805-968-1911