Editing History of science (section)

===Byzantine Empire===
{{Further|Byzantine science | List of Byzantine inventions}}
[[File:ViennaDioscoridesFolio3v7Physicians.jpg|thumb|upright|right|The frontispiece of the [[Vienna Dioscurides]], which shows a set of seven famous physicians]]

====Preservation of Greek heritage====
The [[fall of the Western Roman Empire]] led to a deterioration of the classical tradition in the western part (or [[Greek East and Latin West|Latin West]]) of Europe during the 5th century. In contrast, the Byzantine Empire resisted the barbarian attacks and preserved and improved the learning.<ref>Lindberg, David. (1992) ''The Beginnings of Western Science''. University of Chicago Press. p. 363.</ref>

While the Byzantine Empire still held learning centers such as [[Constantinople]], Alexandria and Antioch, Western Europe's knowledge was concentrated in [[Monastery|monasteries]] until the development of [[Medieval university|medieval universities]] in the 12th centuries. The curriculum of monastic schools included the study of the few available ancient texts and of new works on practical subjects like medicine<ref>Linda E. Voigts, "Anglo-Saxon Plant Remedies and the Anglo-Saxons", ''Isis'', 70 (1979): 250–268; reprinted in Michael H. Shank, ''The Scientific Enterprise in Antiquity and the Middle Ages'', Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Pr., 2000, pp. 163–181. {{ISBN|978-0-226-74951-8}}.</ref> and timekeeping.<ref>Faith Wallis, ''Bede: The Reckoning of Time'', Liverpool: Liverpool Univ. Pr., 2004, pp. xviii–xxxiv. {{ISBN|978-0-85323-693-1}}.</ref>

In the sixth century in the Byzantine Empire, [[Isidore of Miletus]] compiled Archimedes' mathematical works in the [[Archimedes Palimpsest]], where all Archimedes' mathematical contributions were collected and studied.

[[John Philoponus]], another Byzantine scholar, was the first to question Aristotle's teaching of physics, introducing the [[theory of impetus]].<ref>{{Cite book|chapter=Philoponus, John|editor=Craig, Edward|year=1998|title=Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Volume 7, Nihilism-Quantum mechanics|pages=371–377, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0zPyhAxhDz8C&pg=PA373 373]|publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-415-18712-1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Lindberg, David C. |year=2007|title=The Beginnings of Western Science: The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, Prehistory to A.D. 1450|edition=2nd|location=Chicago|publisher=University of Chicago Press|pages=307–308|isbn=978-0-226-48205-7}} Link to [https://books.google.com/books?id=dPUBAkIm2lUC&pg=PA307 p. 307] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803040759/https://books.google.com/books?id=dPUBAkIm2lUC&pg=PA307 |date=3 August 2020 }} from Google's copy of 2008 reprint.</ref> The theory of impetus was an auxiliary or secondary theory of Aristotelian dynamics, put forth initially to explain projectile motion against gravity. It is the intellectual precursor to the concepts of inertia, momentum and acceleration in classical mechanics.<ref>{{cite book | last = Duhem | first = Pierre | contribution = Physics, History of | year = 1913 | title = The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, and History of the Catholic Church | editor-first = Charles G. | editor-last = Herbermann | editor-first2 = Edward A. | editor-last2 = Pace | editor-first3 = Condé B. | editor-last3 = Pallen | editor-first4 = John J. | editor-last4 = Wynne | editor-first5 = Thomas J. | editor-last5 = Shahan | volume = 12 | page = 51 | place = New York | publisher = Encyclopedia Press | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XSQUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA51 | access-date = 19 April 2018 | archive-date = 3 January 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140103080018/http://books.google.com/books?id=XSQUAAAAYAAJ | url-status = live }}</ref> The works of John Philoponus inspired [[Galileo Galilei]] ten centuries later.<ref name=Lindberg1992p162>Lindberg, David. (1992) ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=dPUBAkIm2lUC&pg=PA162 The Beginnings of Western Science]''. University of Chicago Press. p. 162.</ref><ref>{{Cite book| chapter-url=https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/philoponus/| title=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy| chapter=John Philoponus| publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University| year=2018| access-date=11 April 2018| archive-date=22 April 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422010906/https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/philoponus/| url-status=live}}</ref>

====Collapse====
During the [[Fall of Constantinople]] in 1453, a number of Greek scholars fled to North Italy in which they fueled the era later commonly known as the "[[Renaissance]]" as they brought with them a great deal of classical learning including an understanding of botany, medicine, and zoology. Byzantium also gave the West important inputs: John Philoponus' criticism of Aristotelian physics, and the works of Dioscorides.<ref>Lindberg, David. (1992). ''The Beginnings of Western Science''. University of Chicago Press. p. 162.</ref>