Includes bibliographical references and index

v. 1. The ancient world and classical civilization -- v. 2. Early Christianity, the rise of Islam, and the Middle Ages -- v. 3. The Black Death, the Renaissance, the Reformation and the scientific revolution -- v. 4. The origin of chemistry, the principle of progress, the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution

Science is a living, organic activity, the meaning and understanding of which have evolved incrementally over human history. This volume, the first in a roughly chronological series, explores the development of the methodology and major ideas of science, in historical context, from ancient times to the decline of classical civilizations around 300 A.D. It includes details specific to the histories of specialized sciences including astronomy, medicine and physics, along with Roman engineering and Greek philosophy. It closely describes the contributions of such individuals as Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Euclid, Archimedes, Ptolemy, Seneca, Pliny the Elder, and Galen. The second volume explores the evolution of science from the advents of Christianity and Islam through the Middle Ages, focusing especially on the historical relationship between science and religion. Specific topics include technological innovations during the Middle Ages; Islamic science; the Crusades; Gothic cathedrals; and the founding of Western universities. Close attention is given to such figures as Paul the Apostle, Hippolytus, Lactantius, Cyril of Alexandria, Hypatia, Cosmas Indicopleustes, and the Prophet Mohammed