Knowra European science in the Middle Ages European science in the Middle Ages European science in the Middle Ages comprised the study of nature and mathematical arts from roughly the fifth through fifteenth centuries, drawing on classical, Islamic, and local traditions.
Aristotle : An ancient Greek philosopher whose writings shaped medieval accounts of nature, motion, and the cosmos. His natural philosophy became a central framework for European scholarly inquiry.
Medieval university : A chartered European institution of higher learning that emerged in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Universities organized teaching in medicine, astronomy, natural philosophy, and mathematics.
Medieval medicine : Medical theory and practice in medieval societies, combining inherited authorities, observation, and remedies. Medicine was a major institutional home for the study of the natural body.
Scientific Revolution : A period of major changes in European astronomy, physics, and natural philosophy, chiefly from the sixteenth through seventeenth centuries. Its mathematical and experimental approaches differed from many medieval frameworks while building on medieval learning.
Ptolemy : A second-century Greco-Roman astronomer whose mathematical models described planetary motions and mapped the known world. His astronomy and geography entered medieval Europe through translation and commentary.
Scholasticism : A method of learning that used structured argument and authoritative texts to investigate questions. Scholastic disputation let scholars test interpretations of natural-philosophical authorities.
Medieval astronomy : The mathematical study of celestial motions and their relationships to calendars and terrestrial events in medieval Europe. Astronomy connected mathematical models with calendar-making and astrology.
Renaissance humanism : An intellectual movement emphasizing classical literature, languages, and learning, influential in Europe from the fourteenth century onward. Humanists often prioritized textual and linguistic study differently from scholastic natural philosophy.
Hippocratic Corpus : A collection of ancient Greek medical texts associated with Hippocrates and his school. Its medical ideas informed medieval study of disease, diagnosis, and bodily balance.
Latin translations of the twelfth century : A major movement translating Greek and Arabic scholarly works into Latin, especially during the twelfth century. These translations greatly expanded the texts available to European scholars.
Show all 21