Forms of Knowledge in the Ancient World
Forms of Knowledge in the Ancient World / Forme del Sapere nel Mondo Antico is an interdisciplinary Research Centre in Classics, Mathematics and Philosophy established in 2013 at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy, and devoted to the study of ancient science in its relation to philosophy, history, literature, and related disciplines. The Motto of the Research Centre lies in a statement of German mathematician Otto Toeplitz: «Die Forschung ist hier vor den Toren des Baues, als den wir die griechische Mathematik vorstellen wollen, stehen geblieben. Sie war dazu gezwungen, solange sie an ihrer bisherigen Arbeitsweise festhielt. Nur ein neues System der Zusammenarbeit von Philologe und Mathematiker kann diese Tore öffnen». («The research has remained in front of the gates of the building, that we are used to identify with Greek mathematics. It was forced to do so as long as it was stuck to its previous way of working. Only a new system of cooperation between philologist and mathematician can open these gates»). The Centre extends this principle to all domains of ancient scientific thought, while trying to contribute also to a fuller understanding of modern science and its rationale. The main focus being on the Western part of the ancient world, the Centre also envisages to explore comparison with ancient India, China, and the Middle East.