Seminar of History of sciences of antiquity

Teacher(s)

Clesse Grégory;

Language

French

Prerequisites

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Main themes

Study of the development of some specific sciences (Arithmetic, Geometry, Geography, Astronomy, Medicine, etc.) in Ancient Egypt, Babylonian and Greco-Roman civilisations.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	At the end of this course of lectures, the student must understand how the modern concept of science was made up from the Egyptian, Babylonian and Ancient Greek civilisations.

Content

Diachronically, from High Antiquity to the 4th century CE, we will show the development of the sciences in Egyptian, Babylonian and Greco-Roman cultures, through the study of key notions and the main theories that emerged and influenced later periods. Various fields will be addressed more specifically: arithmetic, with the first forms of written calculation; geometry with ancient problem solving; astronomy, with the emergence of the geocentric and heliocentric models; medicine, with the theory of the four humours; and biology, with the theory of the great chain of being. These presentations will provide an opportunity to explore a number of geographical areas and spaces (libraries, etc.) that proved decisive in the development of science. 

Teaching methods

Lectures given with slides, based on the analysis of ancient resources (in translation) and more recent interpretations, in relation with the main topics of the History of sciences in the Antiquity. 

Evaluation methods

June and/or September session: written exam.
The exam covers broad questions (e.g., transversal to the course), which will show the ability of providing a synthesis and analyzing ancient and modern resources, given with their translation, in relation with the main concepts of the History of Sciences in the Antiquity. 
The exam will take place "in presential" during the session. This implies that no AI can be used to answer the questions.

Online resources

Online documentation on Moodle

Bibliography

Références données au fil du cours.

Teaching materials

• Documentation (complémentaire aux notes des étudiants) - en ce compris le powerpoint du cours - disponible sur le serveur Moodle.

Faculty or entity

> FIAL