Includes bibliographical references and index.

In The map of knowledge, Violet Moller traces the journey taken by three of the greatest scientists of antiquity - Euclid, Galen and Ptolemy - through seven cities and over a thousand years. We follow them from 6th century Alexandria to 9th century Baghdad, from Muslim Cordoba to Catholic Toledo, from Salermo's medieval medical school to Palermo, capital of Sicily's vibrant mix of cultures, and - finally - to Venice, where that great merchant city's printing presses would enable Euclid's geometry, Ptolemy's system of the stars and Galen's vast body of writings on medicine to spread even more widely. Vividly told and with a dazzling cast of characters, The book of knowledge is an evocative, nuanced and vibrant account of our common intellectual heritage.