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Reviel Netz
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The Archimedes Codex: How a Medieval Prayer Book Is Revealing the True Genius of Antiquity's Greatest Scientist Kindle Edition

by Reviel Netz (Author), William Noel (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 162 ratings
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At a Christie's auction in October 1998, a battered medieval manuscript sold for two million dollars to an anonymous bidder, who then turned it over to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore for further study. The manuscript was a palimpsest-a book made from an earlier codex whose script had been scraped off and the pages used again. Behind the script of the thirteenth-century monk's prayer book, the palimpsest revealed the faint writing of a much older, tenth-century manuscript. Part archaeological detective story, part science, and part history, The Archimedes Codex tells the extraordinary story of this lost manuscript, from its tenth-century creation in Constantinople to the auction block at Christie's, and how a team of scholars used the latest imaging technology to reveal and decipher the original text. What they found was the earliest surviving manuscript by Archimedes (287 b.c.-212 b.c.), the greatest mathematician of antiquity-a manuscript that revealed, for the first time, the full range of his mathematical genius, which was two thousand years ahead of modern science.
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  1. Print length
    327 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Da Capo
  4. Publication date
    March 12, 2009
  5. File size
    2983 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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  9. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
162 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book fascinating and informative. They describe it as an engrossing account of one of science's great episodes, the discovery of infinity. The writing quality is described as excellent and enjoyable. Readers appreciate the clear explanations of mathematics and visual aids that make the material understandable.

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31 customers mention "Interest"31 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fascinating and enthralling. It recounts one of the great episodes in the history of science, the discovery of infinity. The book provides the scholarly details and project managerial overview. Readers appreciate the surprises and additional historical discoveries, including the true story of a mediaeval manuscript. Overall, it's an educational read with many surprises.

"...funded by an anonymous and generous benefactor, uncover important intellectual history - a select group of proofs by antiquity's greatest..." Read more

"...What is also, a plus, are the many surprises of additional historical discoveries regarding other people in history...." Read more

"The authors reveal the improbable but true story of a mediaeval manuscript which conceals a previously undiscovered work by Archimedes...." Read more

"...One gives the scholarly nuts and bolts, the other the project managerial overview and history...." Read more

22 customers mention "Writing quality"22 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing quality. They find the history behind the extraordinary manuscript fascinating and engaging. The chapters are well-written, but some readers felt they were cut down from a full explanation. Overall, customers consider it an excellent read and worth their time.

"...This story of the Archimedes Codex is extraordinarily interesting - the conditions under which it sold and its history alone provide enough content..." Read more

"Mathematics, Calculus, & Infinity is enthralling. This is especially true; when viewed from an historical perspective...." Read more

"...A truly fascinating read about a document that changes human history and our understanding of the origins of various disciplines of mathematics and..." Read more

"...The detective story aspect of the palimpsest's history was engaging, and I enjoyed being able to look over the shoulders of the researchers as they..." Read more

13 customers mention "Comprehension"10 positive3 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand. They appreciate the clear writing and explanation of the mathematical concepts. The book explains the process of recovering the text in readable form. Readers are interested in science, math, and ancient history.

"...The authors have made a good attempt and explaining most concepts in reasonable terms and providing definitions for the obscure terms...." Read more

"...They describe the painstaking process by which scholars, image scientists and conservators exposed the writing hidden from view for centruries...." Read more

"...This book, clearly written and well-illustrated, would be a good choice for anyone who is interested in either classical scholarship, the history of..." Read more

"...The book explains in detail that most of the erased material is known in variants in other documents, and nearly all of the erased material was..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Neil DeWitte
    5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and Intriguing Account of Science and Scholarship
    Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    The Archimedes Codex is definitely deserving of 5 stars. If you like learning and discovering, this book is a top choice.

    The narrative details how a team of modern day scientists and classicists, funded by an anonymous and generous benefactor, uncover important intellectual history - a select group of proofs by antiquity's greatest mathematician, Archimedes of Syracuse.

    Having studied Latin and Greek in college along with taking introductory Calculus and Physics courses helped me appreciate this book - it was hard to put down. If you have no exposure to any of these academic areas, the book will probably still be of interest, but parts of it may go over your head. The authors have made a good attempt and explaining most concepts in reasonable terms and providing definitions for the obscure terms.

    This story of the Archimedes Codex is extraordinarily interesting - the conditions under which it sold and its history alone provide enough content for a full-length book. The heart of the book doesn't even involve these topics though. Preserving the codex and decoding the contents through a diligent scientific approach provides the most compelling part of the writing. As the contents of the codex are decoded, the authors provide a nice review of Archimedes' discoveries as they relate to geometry, physics and statistics.

    Decoding the work also uncovers previously unknown writings by at least one known ancient Greek orator, Hyperides.

    I only take two minor issues with the work:

    The first is that the author never makes it clear just how much new information has been decoded from the text in the modern studies vs. what was decoded in 1906 by Heiberg, a previous scholar. It could be 10% more or 50% more. The reader is just left to form her own judgment. To the authors' credit there was still research being conducted at the time of the book's printing and any such % would be subjective. Perhaps it is juvenile to ascribe a percentage to any discovery given the subject matter.

    The second issue is that I felt the author did not explain clearly why Archimedes knowledge/use of "actual infinity" is required for solving The Method in lieu of using "potential infinity." He needs to explain better why using potential infinity would preclude or fall short of solving the problem.

    In all this is a great book if you are interested in history, science or just the process of discovery in general.
    13 people found this helpful
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  • Melinda Ellison
    5.0 out of 5 stars The History of Mathematics Makes For An Enthralling Narrative
    Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Mathematics, Calculus, & Infinity is enthralling. This is especially true; when viewed from an historical perspective. Many people would be drawn to mathematics; if it was introduced with this in mind. There is more continuity of thought, dimension, and character; when the history of the subject is introduced. The people in the book who have their own particular expertise; add a wealth of understanding and dimension. The dedication to the acquisition of knowledge regarding Archimedes is inspirational. What is also, a plus, are the many surprises of additional historical discoveries regarding other people in history. This book is valuable in a myriad of ways. It is definitely worth reading. Indeed, it is an excellent book.
    One person found this helpful
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  • John
    4.0 out of 5 stars A gripping mathematical detective story
    Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2023
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    The authors reveal the improbable but true story of a mediaeval manuscript which conceals a previously undiscovered work by Archimedes. They describe the painstaking process by which scholars, image scientists and conservators exposed the writing hidden from view for centruries. And they incidentally expose several old crimes, including murder and forgery. Some of the technical details are heavy going, but the authors' enthusiasm will carry you through.
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  • Marty Hillman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly educational and fascinating read
    Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Let me start by pointing out that this is not a work of fiction, so there will be no climaxes or suspense. However, there is a mystery. Who was the anonymous purchaser? Perhaps we will never know. But that is not the point of this piece either.

    The book outlines in particular the steps taken to restore a 12th century manuscript that has suffered more than just the passage of time, but damage from those who presumed to profit more from it. More than restore the manuscript, they discovered treatises for which there are no other extant copies. A truly fascinating read about a document that changes human history and our understanding of the origins of various disciplines of mathematics and the knowledge of the ancient mind.

    Interspersed between the chapters about the document restoration process and history of Archimedes are chapters detailing the translations of the Greek texts along with somewhat detailed explanations of the mathematics.

    This is a must read for anyone interested either in Archimedes himself, or the preservation of ancient manuscripts.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Rob Sedgwick
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating account
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2024
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    This book is an account of the detective work spanning many disciplines which led to the revealing of much of the text which is obscured by a medieval prayer book and other twentieth-century "forgeries". The author explains the maths that Archimedes wrote about. His enthusiasm for the subject is infectious, and he explains how it anticipated later science, especially Galileo and Newton. A good summary of a decade's work mainly done by professionals in their spare time.
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  • Ettore Baldini Neto
    4.0 out of 5 stars Muito interessante
    Reviewed in Brazil on July 18, 2017
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    Texto escrito em duas mãos. A parte histórica é muito interessante e muito bem descrita. Já a parte científica, embora também muito bem escrita, pode ser árida para o leitor leigo. Vale a leitura.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The math are easy to follow
    Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Very well done for the non-mathematicians. The math are easy to follow.
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  • Antonino Gentile
    5.0 out of 5 stars I bought this for my dad for his birthday!
    Reviewed in Canada on September 11, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Buy this one for the history buff in your family. He certainly loved this book! It discusses the life and works of the great Greek philosopher Archimedes.
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  • Robert Scarth
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed reading this book and learnt a huge amount from it, about Archimedes, about the way that these ancient texts came down to us, and about the science and techniques used to conserve and read the documents.
    Reviel Netz writes about the mathematics. What I liked about this is that he properly engages with the mathematics, and explains what Archimedes' ideas were and why they are interesting and important. These explanations are generally quite clear, but sometimes a step is skipped without really alerting the reader; it takes bit of thought to realise that something has been omitted, and its not just that you're not seeing something obvious. This is slightly annoying, but is a minor criticism, and didn't detract very much from my enjoyment.
    William Noel writes about the palimpsest itself, about its journey through history, about it's condition, about how it is conserved, and about how it was read. This is every bit as fascinating as the mathematical discoveries, and very clearly and engagingly written.

    This is a very well written book, which I think would be enjoyed by anyone, not just those interested in mathematics or ancient history. Highly recommended.
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