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The
Peloponnesian Wars took place in the IVth century B.C.
Sparta fought against Athens and behind them other Greek towns
followed them into warfare. Sparta called on Persia to help them keep
control of the towns they had occupied. Athens and Thebes became
allies and together managed to defeat Sparta. King Philip of Macedon
took advantage of the situation and became ruler of Greece. His reign
lasted from 360 B.C. to 336 B.C. when, upon his death, his son
Alexander took the throne. Alexander the Great was responsible for the
invasion of the Persian empire, which included Syria, Palestine,
Egypt, Mesopotamia and Iran.
This
century began with the death of Socrates
(399 B.C.) The two great philosophers Aristotle
and Plato, one of Socrates
students and admirers also belonged to this period along with Archytas.
Aristotle was Alexander the Great's private tutor and instilled in him
the superiority of the Hellenic culture and encouraged him to go East
and extend his empire. Plato managed to bring the greatest thinkers of
the time together at his Academy in Athens. His contributions to
mathematics include his rigorous method of justifying solutions
through logical reasoning, his analytical
method of demonstration and the conservation,
transmission and development
of mathematical knowledge at
that time
The
most significant mathematicians
of the period were:
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