BMCR 2009.08.25: Volk on Keyser, The Encyclopedia of Ancient Natural Scientists: The Greek Tradition and Its Many Heirs

Paul T. Keyser, Georgia L. Irby-Massie, The Encyclopedia of Ancient
Natural Scientists: The Greek Tradition and Its Many Heirs.  London/New
York:  Routledge, 2008.  Pp. x, 1062.  ISBN 9780415340205.  $360.00.

Reviewed by Katharina Volk, Columbia University (kv2018 <at> columbia.edu)
Word count:  2175 words
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The Encyclopedia of Ancient Natural Scientists (EANS), edited by Paul
T. Keyser and Georgia L. Irby-Massie, is a remarkable achievement,
covering in its 2,053 entries a wide variety of scientific authors who
range in time from Homer to around AD 650 and in place from India to
Britain.  Given that "science" is nearly impossible to define,
especially in the context of premodern societies, the editors have
wisely decided on an inclusive approach, using as the sole criterion
for selection whether the author's "endeavor was to understand or model
some aspect of the natural world on the basis of investigation and
reason" (1).  The EANS thus covers specialists in the fields of
agriculture, alchemy, architecture, astrology, astronomy, biology,
cosmology, geography, harmonics, mathematics, mechanics, medicine,
meteorology, metrology, optics, pharmacy, physiognomy, psychology, and
veterinary medicine, as well as encyclopedists, doxographers, and
paradoxographers.  Most entries are on individuals, but some treat
trends or schools (e.g., Babylonian astronomy), anonymous sources