The Byzantine sciences in the first modern Greek history of science textbook: Michael Stephanides, Introduction to the History of Natural Sciences

Abstract

This paper examines the presence of the first modern Greek history of science textbook written by Michael K. Stefanides in 1938. Michael Stefanides was the first professor of history of science at University of Athens. He was appointed in the chair of history of science in the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics in 1924 and he remained in this post until 1939, when the chair of history of science was abolished. The aforementioned textbook, titled Introduction to the History of Natural Sciences (in Greek: Eἰσαγωγὴ eἰς τὴν ἱστορίαν τῶν φυσικῶν ἐπιστημῶν), was the collection of his lectures delivered to the students of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics. The history of Byzantine sciences in the textbook occupies a prominent position near the quarterly of the whole content. His general approach is that of continuity, i.e. an attempt to establish an unbreakable link between ancient Greek science, specially the heritage of Aristotle, and the scientific activity in the Byzantine era. The work of Stephanides...