Leonid Zhmud The Origin of the History of Science in Classical Antiquity

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Leonid Zhmud
The Origin of the History of Science in Classical Antiquity

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Peripatoi
Philologisch-historische Studien
zum Aristotelismus
Herausgegeben von
Wolfgang Kullmann,
Robert W. Sharples, Jürgen Wiesner
Band 19
2006
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York

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kainà dè zhtoñnte~ ëpipónw~ eûr2sousi
Isoc.
Antid., 83.
Preface
Several sections of this book (3.1–2, 4.2–3, 5.1-2, and 7.6) include revised
Leonid Zhmud
The Origin of the
History of Science
in Classical Antiquity
Translated from the Russian by
Alexander Chernoglazov
2006
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York

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ISSN: 1862-1465
ISBN-13: 978-3-11-017966-8
ISBN-10: 3-11-017966-0
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© Copyright 2006 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, D-10785 Berlin
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To the memory of my wife Irina
(1965–2002)

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kainà dè zhtoñnte~ ëpipónw~ eûr2sousi
Isoc.
Antid., 83.
Preface
When writing a book on the Pythagorean school, I noticed that, although Aris-
totle’s student Eudemus of Rhodes was regularly used as a source for Greek
science, there was no scholarly treatment of him as the first historian of science.
Indeed, as my further research showed, the whole area of ancient Greek histori-
ography of science remained almost entirely unexplored. This prompted me to
work first on Eudemus, and then on his predecessors, colleagues, and fol-
lowers. The Center for Hellenic Studies, Washington (1995–1996); Maison des
Sciences de l’Homme, Paris (1998); Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton
(1998–1999); Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation, Bonn (2000, 2004); Well-
come Trust Centre for the History of Medicine, London (2000–2001); and Wis-
senschaftskolleg zu Berlin (2002–2003, 2005) have found my studies worthy of
support. Without them this book would hardly have been written. The Alex-
ander von Humboldt-Foundation and Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin gener-
ously sponsored the translation of this book into English. I express my deep
gratitude to all these institutions.
Alexander Gavrilov, Elena Ermolaeva, Dmitri Panchenko, and Alexander
Verlinsky have read the Russian version of the book, published in 2002 in St.
Petersburg; their valuable suggestions have improved the text in many places. I
am grateful to Gertrud Grünkorn for her offer to publish the English version of
my book with the Walter de Gruyter Press
. In preparing the new edition I have
updated the bibliography and written an additional chapter, tracing the fate of
the historiography of science after Eudemus.
István Bodnár, Carl Huffman, Charles Kahn, Paul Keyser, Colin G. King,
and Henry Mendell have read and commented on separate chapters of the
manuscript; their criticism has made it possible to eliminate many inaccuracies
and to make essential improvements to the text. Lydia Goehr, John Hyman,
Maria Michela Sassi, David Sider, and Heinrich von Staden have all been ex-
tremely helpful. I would particularly like to thank Geoffrey Lloyd, who has
read a whole draft of the book and sent me his very helpful comments. The edi-
tors of the