Remarks on Mathematical Terminology in Medieval Latin : Greek and Arabic Influences

Abstract

The development of mathematical terminology in the Latin Middle Ages has not yet been systematically investigated ; there is in print no report on the whole field, only three general articles 1 and occasional specialized information on a special text. Accordingly, my talk is based on my own work on mathematical texts of this time. They show that there were two different traditions. One of these came from Greek mathematical writings which were known in Latin by translations and reworkings made in Roman times and late antiquity they were a formative influence on medieval culture. The second tradition begins with the translations from Arabic into Latin in the 12th century : thereby a large number of Greek writings became known and at the same time Indian and Arabic mathematics, which in part belonged to the same tradition. In the following I should like to describe these traditions and to characterize their principal trends with the help of a few examples.