Comment by adrian_b | Hacker News Reader

Comment by adrian_b | Hacker News Reader

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A part of the ancient Latin and Greek literature has been preserved by the Byzantine Empire and another part by the Arabs.

The Arabs actually had much more interactions with the Western Europeans than the latter had with the Byzantines, so much more old books have reached Europe through the Arabs. Most Byzantine books have reached Europe only after the Fall of Constantinople and the invention of the movable-type printing press, when their importance has soon become more historical than practical, due to the rapid advances that have started at that time.

Besides the ancient Latin and Greek books, the Arabs have also passed knowledge that had come from India and Persia and also the results of original research that went beyond what had been transmitted from others, especially in chemistry and mathematics, hence words like alchemy and algebra.

Muslims, not Arabs. Also you are mistaken about Arabs passing Persian knowledge. Initially invading Arabs were given to destroying books. It was Muslim Persians who did most of the translation, and subsequently elaboration of the ancient world’s thinking into the Muslim civilization and from there to Europe. And yes, they wrote in Arabic just like Isaac Newton wrote Principia in Latin. And most of us now write in English, but are we Anglos?

p.s. important to amend this here to note that certainly, Muslim civilization had many towering Arab (and non-Persian non-Arab) intellects as well. In my personal opinion, the correct terminology would be Muslim and Islamic (since it certainly was that) instead of Arab or Arabic. The latter apparently is favored by European “Orientalists” but it is both incorrect and further it is divisive.

I agree than many of the most important scientific advances in the Muslim world were due to Persians, like the classification of the chemical substances made by Avicenna, who has written in Arabic, as you say.

However, the works of Avicenna and others like him have reached Europe through Arabs, frequently through Spain.

If you know of another path to Europe for the Persian Arabic works, I am curious to hear which is it.

Lot's of non-Muslim non-Arabs were part of this Islamic golden age as well.

> words like alchemy and algebra

And “algorithm” too, named after the scientist Al-Khwarizmi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Khwarizmi

What US state takes its name from the Arabic title for a ruler?

Alabama?

Good guess, but no, it's California from Khalifa.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology_of_California

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