Ancient Greek and Roman Science: A Very Short Introduction

What counted as science in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds? Liba Taub surveys ideas and practices from the eighth century BCE to the sixth century CE, examining how ancient thinkers tried to understand nature through observation, argument, measurement, mathematics and inherited traditions. The book ranges across astronomy, cosmology, geography, medicine and the study of the natural world while resisting the temptation to judge ancient knowledge simply by modern scientific standards.

Taub places famous figures and theories within the communities, texts and institutions through which knowledge was produced and transmitted, showing that poetry, philosophy, technical expertise and practical experience could all contribute to ancient investigations of nature. She also follows the survival and transformation of this learning beyond antiquity. This Very Short Introduction provides an accessible framework for readers interested in the history of science and in the intellectual worlds of Greece and Rome.