Euclid's Elements - A 2,500 Year History
Bob Gardner
East Tennessee State University
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Johnson City, TN 37614

A statue of Euclid stands outside the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/roderickt-uk/3392757210/

Abstract. Euclid's Elements of Geometry is roughly 2,300 years old. It has been published in thousands of different editions. Its format is mimicked today in almost every upper-level math book. More than any other single work, Euclid's Elements has influenced what mathematics is and how it is done. This presentation explores the history of The Elements, its various translations, and the versions which are available today (including free online copies).

This is an online version of the presentation given in Spring 2010:

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. GEOMETRY BEFORE EUCLID
  3. EUCLID
  4. THE CONTENTS OF THE ELEMENTS
  5. GREEK COMMENTARIES ON THE ELEMENTS
  6. OTHER IMPORTANT GEOMETERS
  7. ARABIC TRANSLATIONS OF THE ELEMENTS
  8. OTHER TRANSLATIONS OF THE ELEMENTS
  9. THE ELEMENTS IN ENGLISH
  10. THE ELEMENTS - HEIBERG AND HEATH
  11. THE LOCAL HISTORY OF THE ELEMENTS
  12. THE ELEMENTS TODAY
  13. REFERENCES


Return to Bob Gardner's webpage.

Last revised November 14, 2009.