Greek scholars

The early Greeks explained the things that happened to them by linking them to the gods, but by about 500 BC the Greeks were beginning to ask questions about the world around them, and to search for answers to the questions. These people were called philosophers, which means "lover of knowledge" in Greek. During this time of Greek history the scholars learnt much about geography, astronomy, medicine, history and maths.

Plato (c.429-327 BC) - wrote a book about different ways of governing countries.

Aristotle (382-322 BC) - discovered many things in science and biology.

Parmenides - watched an eclipse of the Moon in about 470 BC, and noticed that the Earth's shadow was curved. He worked out that if the shadow was curved, then the Earth must be round.

Archimedes - was a mathematician and an engineer. He designed a machine, called the Archimedian screw, which could make water flow uphill. His design has been used for almost 2,000 years, to take water from rivers to the fields.

Pythagoras - was a mathematician. Perhaps you can find out about Pythagoras' theorem on right-angled triangles.

Philosophers