Greco-Roman Mathematics History

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The Greco-Roman period of mathematics occurred between 150 B.C. and 525 A.D. As the Roman west was generally disinterested in theoretical mathematics, most work of significance came from the Greek east. After the third century A.D., interest in mathematics and science declined. This decline may have been caused by the persecution of some pagan philosophers, or it may have been that men who previously would have gone into philosophy or science instead wrote Christian literature. Furthermore, the Empire-wide economic decline that started in the third century resulted in fewer upper-class people who were able to spend their time doing mathematics.

50 A.D.

Hero does work in the fields of physics, mathematics, and mechanics.

150 A.D.

Ptolemy writes the Almagest which dealt with his theory of planetary motion.

250 A.D.

Diophantus formulates methods of solving Diophantine equations.

300 A.D.

Pappus compiles and comments on many theorems.

390 A.D.

Theon (335-400) and his daughter Hypatia (355-415) collaborate on mathematical and astronomical work.

391 A.D.

The Library of Alexandria is destroyed.

415 A.D.

Hypatia is murdered.

470 A.D.

Proclus (411-485) teaches mathematics at the Platonic Academy in Athens and writes mathematical commentaries such as his Commentary on Euclid.

529 A.D.

Roman Emperor Justinian closes the Platonic Academy.

After this date, which in a way marks the end of a tradition founded over 1,100 years previously by Thales, there is virtually no significant mathematical work in Christian Europe for almost a millennium, until 1494 when Luca Pacioli, a Tuscan monk, wrote Summa de Arithmetica. The sole exception to this stagnation is Fibonacci's work in the 13th century. The continuation of the Greek scientific tradition is found in the Arab world.

You may also be interested in the Ionic number system, or in Roman numerals.

Mathematics timeline