Time Line
700 B.C.E.
Homer writes of Apollo, the bringer and reliever of plagues in The Iliad
600 B.C.E.
The rise of Greek science and philosophy: Thales begins inquiries about nature and physics
580 B.C.E.
Pythagoras born at Samos; later founds a scientific and philosophical cult
480 B.C.E.
Empedocles born; noted philosopher and physician
460 B.C.E.
The most noted "Hippocrates" born; the Hippocratic Corpus begins its formation
384 B.C.E.
Aristotle born; noted philosopher and scientist
334-325 B.C.E.
Alexander the Great conquers Egypt, the Middle East and Western India, bringing Greek culture and learning
330 B.C.E.-100 C.E.
Alexandria serves as a center for Greek scholarship, including medicine
146 B.C.E.
Greece becomes a Roman protectorate
50-70 C.E.
Dioscorides writes Περι υλης ιατρικης, known in Latin as De materia medica
129 C.E.
Galen born; noted physician
150 C.E.
Artemidorus writes Oneirocritica
476 C.E.
As the Western Roman Empire falls, Western physicians begin to lose contact with Greek scholars and texts in the East
632-1200 C.E.
Islam grows, eventually taking over Egypt and much of the Hellenized Middle East; Arab medical scholars take an intense interest in the Greek physicians; texts are copied in Greek and translated into Arabic
1200-1350 C.E.
News from Crusaders and texts found during their raids renew Western scholars’ interest in Greek medicine; the Greek language is mostly unknown, however
1450-1598 C.E.
With the fall of Constantinople in 1453, many Byzantine scholars emigrate to Italy, bringing Greek texts and teaching the language; Greek medical texts are printed with vigor and studied dogmatically
1540-1800 C.E.
Western scholars begin to question the data in Greek medical texts, but take up their methods of scientific enquiry and experimentation, developing modern Western medicine
1800 C.E.
Greek medical texts become the focus of modern Classical scholars and historians of medicine
