Acknowledgements 1
Dedication 1
The Creation of Science 1
1.The Early Greeks and their Predecessors 7
Science Must Begin with Myths 10
Two Cultures 13
Cosmos:an Elegant Universe 16
Myths and Theories 21
Natural Phenomena 26
2.The First Scientific Theories 30
The Fathers of Medicine 37
Eleatics and Atomists:Achilles and the Tortoise 41
The Pythagoreans:the Secret Magic of Numbers 45
Gome the Time of Proof 50
Euclid 53
Science and Technology 56
Great Achievement Assured 57
3.Men of the World 61
Plato 64
Teleology:the Best of all Possible Worlds 71
Atomism:Let us Trace the Pattern 72
No Slight or Trivial Influence 76
Aristotle:The Master of Those who Know 78
The Terrestrial Realm 80
The Heavens 82
Speculations Upon Matter 84
Aristotle and Qualities 85
Explanations 88
Direction of Explanation:Clockwork Lives 91
4.Heavenly Thoughts 95
Eudoxus:Thinking Regressively 108
Ptolemaic Astronomy 112
The Four Seasons 115
Revolutionary Thinking 117
Modelling the Heavens 118
5.The Origins of the Cosmos and of Life:Consider your Origins 125
6.Medicine and the Life Sciences 147
Galen 158
Ancient Thought on Blood 163
Aristotle and Biology Biology s Beginnings 169
Embryology and Species 170
Taxonomy 171
7.Later Greek Science:After Aristotle 174
Epicurus and Epicureanism:on the Nature of Things 176
Stoics：the Active and the Passive 178
Archimedes 181
Eratosthenes 185
Hero and his Engine 187
The Origins of Alchemy and Astrology 189
The Decline of Greek Science? All Good Things Must Come to an End 195
The Creation of Science 198
Appendices 211
Map of Ancient Greece 211
Glossary of Tarms 212
Timeline of Ancient Greek Philosopher-scientists 219
Further Reading 222