Rediscovering the Classics of ancient Greek Mathematics

This chapter explores the recovery and reappropriation of ancient Greek mathematics from the Middle Ages to the sixteenth century, focusing on the interplay between humanist scholarship, practical mathematical culture, and the development of printing. It examines how the rediscovery, translation, and publication of classical works gradually transformed them into a shared intellectual resource. The editorial projects of Regiomontanus, Francesco Maurolico, and Federico Commandino reveal different approaches to the restoration of ancient knowledge, ranging from mathematical reconstruction to philological criticism. The histories of Euclid’s Elements, the Archimedean corpus, and Diophantus’ Arithmetica illustrate both the achievements and the challenges of this process. The chapter argues that the assimilation of classical mathematics was essential to the emergence of early modern mathematical culture, yet also exposed the limitations of its conceptual and methodological framework. The classical tradition thus provided not only the foundations for new developments but also constraints that had to be overcome. The birth of modern mathematics required not the abandonment of ancient knowledge, but its transformation.