With Archimedes and Apollonius of Perga, Euclid is generally considered among the greatest mathematicians of antiquity, and one of the most influential in the history of mathematics. Very little is known of Euclid's life, and most information comes from the scholars Proclus and Pappus of Alexandria many centuries later. Euclid, the most prominent mathematician of Greco-Roman antiquity, best known for his geometry book, the Elements.

Understanding the Context

It is sometimes said that, other than the Bible, the Elements is the most translated, published, and studied of all the books produced in the Western world. Euclid authored the Elements, the most famous and most published mathematical work in history. The Elements is concerned mainly with geometry, proportion, and number theory. Euclid was a Greek mathematician best known for his treatise on geometry: The Elements.

Key Insights

This influenced the development of Western mathematics for more than 2000 years. Euclid of Alexandria is the most prominent mathematician of antiquity best known for his treatise on mathematics The Elements. Euclid (325 BC - 265 BC) - Biography - MacTutor History of Mathematics Euclid’s Elements form one of the most beautiful and influential works of science in the history of humankind. Its beauty lies in its logical development of geometry and other branches of mathematics. Euclid (also referred to as Euclid of Alexandria) (Greek: Εὐκλείδης) (c.

Final Thoughts

325 B.C.E. – c. 265 B.C.E.), a Greek mathematician, who lived in Alexandria, Hellenistic Egypt, almost certainly during the reign of Ptolemy I (323 B.C.E. –283 B.C.E.), is often referred to as the "father of geometry." Considered one of the most influential works in the history of mathematics, Euclid’s work was the main textbook for teaching mathematics up until the 20th century. In Elements, the author deduced some geometrical principles based on a small set of axioms.