The proposed project is to conduct extensive and original research on the Arabic and Persian traditions of the Mechanics of Heron and Pappus of Alexandria (1st and 4th century AD respectively), and to prepare a critical edition, English translation and historical commentary for the Arabic translation of Pappus?s Mechanics ? the most significant text within those traditions (contracted for publication by Springer-Verlag): this is a text that is not only considerably longer than its surviving Greek version; it preserves a substantial portion of the lost original Greek of Heron?s Mechanics, itself a key text with fragments from Archimedes and now extant only in Arabic.
Establishing the text, author and date of the single known Arabic translation of the rich text of Pappus?s Mechanics would benefit historical studies beyond Greek, Arabic and Persian mechanical traditions. Besides the text?s critically important Arabic translation, and that of Heron?s Mechanics, there are works dependent on both Heron and Pappus that form the Arabic and Persian traditions of Alexandrian Mechanics (see Textual Traditions) predating the much later impacts in Europe. The proposed research and publication project is conceived with the parallel aim of exposing the core texts and contexts of the so far checkered history of pre-modern mechanics, with a focus on (a) Establishing the critical text: edition, translation, apparatus and figures of the Arabic text, "Introduction of Pappus to the Science of Mechanics," with historical introduction and commentary, lexicon, and indices; and (b) Reconstructing the historical context of the scientific traditions dependent on the Mechanics of Heron and Pappus of Alexandria, a task particularly valuable in the case of the untouched Persian tradition.
The project is a direct contribution to disciplinary areas ranging from history of science and technology to classical and medieval studies: in research, it exposes important and understudied scientific traditions in periods and regions of growing interest; in teaching, it promotes understanding of both pre-modern and non-western intellectual and cultural histories, and accessibility of critical sources and methods to a much broader audience; and in the wider spectrum of research and teaching, it provides a suitable working model for the promising application of the evolving technologies to various fields in the humanities and specific problems within them. My specialized training as a historian of science with a combined knowledge of the relevant languages, especially both Arabic and Persian, and directly related experiences, including previous NSF projects, place me in a favorable position for handling the problems and priorities involved. My long involvement with the linguistic treatments of classical texts, and initial identification and collection of the most critical and inaccessible manuscripts, provide added advantages for effective and timely coordination of multiple tasks.
