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Archimedes Codex
Archimedes Codex

How a Medieval Prayer Book Is Revealing the True Genius of Antiquity's Greatest Scientist

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Ancient math for the math non-lovers

  • Jan 24, 2009
  • by
Rating:
+3
Archimedes was one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, but many of his writings have long been lost to us. We've had some medieval translations of a few of his works, but nothing original. That is, until now. In 1998, a unique book went up for auction in New York: a 13th century prayer book, handwritten by some monk back in the day. But beneath the words that this monk copied were the words of Archimedes in their original Greek. The Archimedes Codex, by Reviel Netz and William Noel, tells the story of the purchase of this codex, and the nine year (and still ongoing) attempt to get as much of Archimedes original text from this document as possible. It's a fascinating work, alternating between the history of the codex and revealing what the codex says, and thus it's of alternating interest to the reader.

It's an interesting way to write a book, and since Math is not my area of interest, I found Noel's history a lot more interesting than Netz's math. However, Netz's enthusiasm about the entire project is quite infectious. He talks about Archimedes theories, how the study of mathematics changed from ancient times to more modern times, especially in light of what the Codex has revealed. One interesting thing Netz discusses is that the ancients did not use infinity as a mathematical object, but then he shows how Archimedes seems to approach the concept even though he never names it. The math is relatively easy to follow, though I did skim a large part of it. Netz provides plenty of diagrams as demonstration. Yes, mathematical writing can get dry at times, but Netz's enthusiasm for the project shines through in his prose, making these chapters a lot easier to read.

For me, though, the main area of interest in The Archimedes Codex is Noel's history. He does extensive investigations and theorizing into how the Codex came into being in Constantinople in the 6th century, what the monk who copied the book may have been thinking, and how the overwriting of ancient manuscripts generally occurred.

Along with the history, Noel provides a detailed account of the process put in place to reveal the hidden secrets of the Codex. This is impressive in itself, with numerous people putting in a lot of time and effort into imaging the text, coming up with ideas to make the text clearer and easier to read. We see the setbacks and disappointments, the points where Noel thought they wouldn't be able to go forward. Noel's passion for the Codex comes through almost as much as Netz's does, but Noel delves more into the problems that he has had to deal with.

The contributions of both authors make The Archimedes Codex what it is. While the math part can get a little slow at times, overall the topic is a fascinating one and both Netz and Noel are able to entice the reader to follow along with them on this unknown trail (whether mathematical or historical). Netz is almost giddy at times as something is revealed in the Codex.

This book is a definite must for any math fans out there, but it's also good for those with a more historical bent. You can get past the math with relative ease, and enjoy a historical search for the roots of book written over a thousand years ago. Whichever way you go, you can't go wrong with The Archimedes Codex.
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March 06, 2009
This sounds totally fascinating. Math isn't my main interest either, but I do have a soft spot for history (I was meant to be an archeologist, alas!). There's still a strange thrill whenever modern thinkers or historians find something new that we overlooked in the past. Thanks for the book rec!
 
February 04, 2009
I risk sounding super geeky... but I LOVE MATH PROBLEMS. I'm always intrigued when I learn something math-y and wonder HOW in the world people came up with these theories years ago??! Like, why is a triangle 180 degrees?? Where did they come up w these divisibility rules? I love math theories...(geek alert.. geek alert). It really blows my mind. Never really thought about reading a book like this about math...I might LOVE IT! Thanks! =)
 
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Dave Roy ()
Ranked #931
I read a lot, both SF and History, along with some mysteries and other books. I've lived in Vancouver for over 10 years now and am really loving it, but I'm still a Midwesterner at heart.    I … more
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