Scientists Discover Lost Works of Apollonius in Arabic Manuscript

Scientists Discover Lost Works of Apollonius in Arabic Manuscript

Scientists have uncovered two highly significant but previously lost books by the Greek mathematician Apollonius, known in the ancient world as The Great Geometer. These works were found in an Arabic manuscript preserved in the Leiden University Libraries in the Netherlands. This revelation is part of a recently published book Prophets Poets and Scholars which consists of 50 chapters and is published by Leiden University Press. Apollonius 262 BC – 190 BC is considered one of Greece’s greatest mathematicians. His famous book The Conics of Apollonius introduced the concepts of hyperbola ellipse and parabola. The rediscovered manuscript contains books 5 and 7 of his work which had been lost to European scholars during the Renaissance. These manuscripts were acquired by the Dutch orientalist and mathematician Jacob Golius in the 17th century during his travels to the Middle East. He brought them to Leiden University as part of a collection of over 200 Arabic manuscripts.

Shedding Light on Islamic Scientific Traditions

Beyond Apollonius’ work the book explores other Arabic manuscripts collected by Golius offering insights into the rich scientific traditions of the Islamic world. These manuscripts not only contain profound mathematical knowledge but also exhibit exceptional calligraphy and intricate geometric illustrations. Dutch mathematician and historian Jan Pieter Hogendijk remarked that the Arabic manuscript of Apollonius' work is fascinating both for its exact scientific content and its beautiful calligraphy and illustrations. He added that such manuscripts demonstrate the intelligence discipline and concentration of medieval Muslim scholars and scribes qualities that are often lacking in today’s technology driven world. Several chapters in Prophets Poets and Scholars highlight the contributions of Arab and Muslim scientists in various fields including astronomy cosmography zoology botany and mathematics. One section focuses on the famous Muslim cosmographer Ibn Muhammad al Qazwini’s Ajaib al Makhluqat wa Gharaib al Mawjudat Wonders of Creation and Rarities of Existence an encyclopedic work that describes everything from insects to mythical creatures. For instance one passage describes a mysterious sea creature with a human like face a white beard the body of a frog and hair like a cow's now identified as an early depiction of a seal.

Professor Mostafa Zahri of the University of Sharjah emphasized that Western institutions such as Leiden University the British Library and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France house thousands of Arabic Persian and Ottoman manuscripts containing rare scientific and mathematical treatises. However many remain understudied and greater collaboration digitization and accessibility between Western and Arab scholars are needed to unlock their full value.

Wilfred de Graaf Education Coordinator at Utrecht University noted that a major challenge in studying Islamic manuscripts is the lack of scholars proficient in Arabic Persian and Turkish. However there is growing interest in the Islamic scientific tradition particularly because of its crucial role in shaping European science between the 11th and 14th centuries. In early 2025 Leiden University scientists conducted a workshop at the University of Sharjah to teach scholars about the abjad numeral system used in Arabic scientific texts. In this system each Arabic letter corresponds to a specific number much like Roman numerals. This system was often used alongside the sexagesimal system which is still in use today for measuring time hours minutes and seconds and angles degrees arc minutes and arc seconds. Participants also studied an early astrolabe an Arabic astronomical instrument which contained numerical inscriptions written in the abjad system.

Muslim Scientists’ Contributions to Mathematics and Astronomy

Another chapter in the book examines an 11th century manuscript by al Mu’taman ibn Hud the King of Saragossa 1081 1085 which reveals how Muslim mathematicians solved a complex Greek geometric problem nearly 500 years before European scholars. Similarly a 14th century Arabic manuscript details how Muslim scientists accurately determined the geographical coordinates latitude and longitude of over 160 cities with a remarkably small margin of error. These discoveries highlight the depth of Islamic scientific achievements and reinforce the importance of further research into Arabic manuscripts which still hold countless untapped treasures of knowledge.