Tracing the early history of algebra: testimonies on Diophantus in the Greek-speaking world (4th--7th century CE) (Q2001445)

The authors argue that Diophantus' \textit{Arithmetica} was more widely known and studied in Late Antiquity than is generally recognised. They go through all known references to Diophantus in Greek sources, some of which have been neglected in earlier scholarship. Most of these source are not mathematically substantive: they merely mention Diophantus briefly in passing, or give superficial remarks about terminology. Nevertheless, they show that Diophantus' treatise was available and consulted in Late Antiquity. An inkling of a mathematical understanding of Diophantus is found in a brief remark in Theon's commentary on Ptolemy's \textit{Almagest}. In this connection, it is intriguing that Theon's daughter Hypatia is said to have written a commentary on Diophantus. The authors also argue that a brief reference to Diophantus in connection with the education of fiscal administrators in 8th-century Damascus plausibly means that Diophantus' actual work was studied there. This would put serious study of Diophantus in the Islamic world earlier than previously recognised. One source, the \textit{Palatine anthology} of Late Greek Antiquity, contains detailed and quite sophisticated solutions to arithmetical problems in Diophantine style. The authors give a detailed analysis of the algebraic aspects of this work. They find in it ``all the critical features of an algebraic solution: assigning names to the unknowns, operating with the names, setting up an equation framed in terms of the names. Undoubtedly, we have here one of the earliest instances of practicing algebra in the period immediately following Diophantus' time.'' The authors also observe that the scholiast who compiled the text had no difficulty in shifting back and forth between a numerical paradigm and the more formal and classical language of ratios.