10/11/2008

(GNA)

Archimedes Palimpset project online 

After ten years of work, involving the expertise and goodwill of an extraordinary number of people working around the globe, the Archimedes Palimpsest Project has released its data. It is a historic dataset, revealing new texts from the ancient world. A complete facsimile of the revealed palimpsested texts is available as "The Archimedes Palimpsest."

Archimedes (287 to 212 B.C.) is one of the greatest scientists of all times, yet many of his writings were lost. Fortunately, a Greek original, namely the Archimedes Palimpsest, has recently been discovered. The manuscript was written in the 10th century. In the 13th century, it was taken apart, and the Archimedes text was scraped off. In 1906, the under-text was recognized by J. L. Heiberg, professor of classics, as containing previously unknown works by Archimedes.

The "Archimedes Codex" which was recently published in English and German contains seven of the Greek mathematician's treatises. Most importantly, it is the only surviving copy of "On Floating Bodies" in Greek, and the unique source for the Method of Mechanical Theorems and the ancient puzzle Stomachion.

Secretariat General of Information: Feature Stories - Main-The Archimedes Palimpsest Project: Digital Palimpsest Now on the Web; Technology Museum of Thessaloniki: Ancient Greek Scientists-Archimedes

ARCHIMEDES PALIMPSEST

Archimedes (285 to 212 B.C.) is one of the greatest mathematicians and inventors of all times, yet many of his writings were lost. Fortunately, a Greek original, namely the Archimedes Palimpsest, has recently been discovered. The manuscript was written in the 10^th century. In the 13th century, it was taken apart, and the Archimedes text was scraped off. The parchment was reused by a monk who created a prayer book, a process called palimpsesting. In 1906, the undertext was recognized by J. L. Heiberg, professor of classics, as containing previously unknown works by Archimedes. Intense efforts which have been made since 1999 to retrieve the original text finally bore fruits. The "Archimedes Codex" which was recently published in English and German contains seven of the Greek mathematician's treatises. Most importantly, it is the only surviving copy of On Floating Bodies in the original Greek, and the unique source for the Method of Mechanical Theorems and the ancient puzzle Stomachion. 

Reviel Netz, William Noel, The Archimedes Codex, How a Medieval Prayer Book Is Revealing the True Genius of Antiquity's Greatest Scientist, Da Capo Press, October 2007

Spiegel Online: The Story of the Archimedes Manuscript

BBC: Text reveals more ancient secrets