Ancient Greek Historiography of Science

There is some uncertainty among historians of science as to when the history of science first appeared. Unlike the old historical debate over the origin of mathematics or astronomy, the origin of the history of science has never been widely discussed or properly considered, and the interested reader will find a variety of starting points which reflect the professional preoccupations of historians. One is in the twentieth century with George Sarton, another in the nineteenth century with William Whewell, and yet another in the eighteenth century with Joseph Priestley. Thus, Helge Kragh regards Priestley’s The History and the Present State of Electricity (1767) as the best example of the history of science in the age of the Enlightenment, which ‘saw history as an instrument for progress in the battle against the old feudal order.