Page 155 - Sarpedon’dan Keykubad’a Bir Zamanlar Antalya
P. 155

Fig. 108: Pages from the Arabic Translations of Conics


               At that time, the center of science of the ancient world was
            undoubtedly the Egyptian city of Alexandria. Because Alexan-
            der the Great had a research institute established here with a
            very large library. In this center, studies were carried out in the
            fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, astronomy, philosophy,
            literature and physiology. This was the first stop of Apollonius
            on his way to becoming a great scientist. The young Apollonius
            came to Alexandria, where he improved himself considerably
            by taking lessons from mathematicians who came after Euclid,
            the great geometry teacher.
               After  a  long  period  of  education  in  Alexandria,  the  young
            scientist  returned  to  his  home  country,  Perge.  But  of  course,
            he would set out on a new route as he needed to learn more.
            This  was,  of  course,  to  the  kingdom  of  Pergamon,  locat-
            ed  in  the  Bergama  district  of  modern-day  Izmir.  Because
            Pergamon  was  the  second  science  center  of  the  world  af-
            ter  Alexandria  in  the  Hellenistic  Period.  Apollonius,  who
            stayed  in  Bergama  for  a  long  time,  took  lessons  from  anoth-
            er  geometer,  Ödemus,  and  continued  to  improve  himself  by



                                        154
   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160