Greek Science of the Hellenistic Era by Georgia Irby-Massie and Paul Keyser,
Routledge, £17.99, ISBN 041523848X
CUTTING up the bodies of “wicked men” awaiting execution while they’re still
alive isn’t something most would associate with Greek science. More familiar are
the endlessly retold stories, such as Archimedes shouting “heureka!” as he leapt
from the bath. But for the real stuff, try Georgia Irby-Massie and Paul Keyser’s
refreshing counterweight to those often fictional retellings.
Aimed at historians of science—and classicists with broad
horizons—Greek Science of the Hellenistic Era covers an extraordinarly
rich period of discovery and exploration. Macedonia’s Alexander…
