04462 - History of Science and Technique (G.B)

Learning outcomes

The history of science is by now a discipline present in almost all Italian universities and part of many degree courses of study, both in the humanities and sciences. The central role this course plays in university education is principally based on two fundamental motivations: 1) the recognition of the history of science as an ideal discipline in order to surpass the problematic fracture between humanist culture and scientific culture 2) the evidence that the development of science and technology is the most decisive and apparent aspect of the contemporary world. The history of science and technique course is therefore firstly characterised by its highly interdisciplinary content and by the possibility to offer outlooks of analysis and study that differ from and are alternative to the traditional approach of fields of knowledge, both in the humanist and scientific worlds.

Course contents

The course aims at drawing a picture of the history of ideas and practices that characterized the human approach to nature from Babylonian antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages.

In the first part of the course, we will study the main currents of theoretical development of Ancient, Hellenistic, Late Antique, Islamic and Medieval natural philosophy. We will analyze specific sciences (mathematics, astronomy-astrology, mechanics, medicine, etc.) and their relationship with the artisanal and productive practices of the time, which are often overlooked in the classical narratives on the development of pre-modern science. We will focus in particular on the Mediterranean basin as the stage of lively theoretical and practical scientific exchanges between disparate cultural, linguistic and ethnic actors.

The second part of the course, following the historical outline traced in the first part, will investigate the history of alchemy, a discipline at the hinge between practice and theory by definition. A selection of important texts of Ancient Greek, Hellenistic, Syriac, Arabic, Greek, Hebrew and Latin origin will be analysed during the course. The themes and historical tendences identified in the first part of the course will resurface in the study of the history of alchemy and its textual lore.

Topics

Part I: General Introduction: Science and Technique from Antiquity to the Middle Ages (30 hours)

Science before science? How to study pre-modern science

Babylon and Egypt

Science in Greece in the Classical period

Scientific developments in Hellenistic times

Roman civilization, sciences and techniques

Science in Byzantium

The Greek-Syriac-Arabic translation movement

Science and Islām

The reception of Graeco-Arabic sciences in the Medieval Latin world

Part II: Monographic Course: Alchemy (30 hours)

The origins of alchemy

Etymological and Historiographical problems

Alchemy and artisanal knowledge in the Greek and Hellenistic world

Pseudoepigraphy, secrecy and authority

Alchemy in the Islamic world: letters, balances, alembics and crucibles

Alchemy, philosophy, religion and artisanal practices in the Latin Middle Ages

Alchemical imagery and practice

Alchemy, philology and laboratory replications

Readings/Bibliography

- Part I:

1) Clericuzio, A., Uomo e Natura. Scienza, tecnica e società dall’antichità all’età moderna, Firenze: Carocci 2022, pp. 1-183

2) Gutas, D., Pensiero Greco e Cultura Araba, Torino: Einaudi 1998, pp. 15-35; 125-177.

3) Primary sources read and commented in class (available on Virtuale)

4) Secondary literature suggested in class (available on Virtuale)

- Part II:

1) Pereira, M., Arcana Sapienza. L’alchimia dalle origini a Jung, Roma: Carocci 2021, pp. 23-180

3) Primary sources read and commented in class (available on Virtuale)

4) Secondary literature suggested in class (available on Virtuale)

Students not attending classes

Students not attending classes, in addition to the aforementioned bibliography, should also complete the reading of Gutas’ and Pereira’s books, which are listed above in the bibliography for the first and second part of the course.

Teaching methods

Lectures on the course’s topics.

Reading and in-class commentary of relevant passages from primary sources in the history of pre-modern science.

Students will be encouraged to deliver short presentations on discreet topics (either individually or as part of a group)

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an oral interview aimed at assessing the student’s methodological and critical skills. Students will be asked to discuss texts covered during the course and to elaborate on their historical context. Excellent grades (28–30) will be awarded for a systematic understanding of the topics addressed in class, a critical engagement with the sources, and the use of precise and appropriate language. Good grades (23–27) will reflect a mainly accurate, though more mechanical or memorized, knowledge of the material, accompanied by clear exposition. Sufficient grades (18–22) will be given in cases of partial understanding, superficial contextualization, and limited familiarity with the texts. Failure to meet these minimum criteria will result in a failing grade.

Exam sessions
During the 2025/2026 academic year, exam sessions are scheduled in the following months: December, January, March, May, June, July September. 

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)
Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders have the right to special adjustments according to their condition, following an assessment by the Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the instructor but get in touch with the Service directly to schedule an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine the appropriate adjustments. For more information, visit the page: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students .It is recommended that students contact the University office in advance. Any proposed adjustments must be submitted at least 15 days in advance for the instructor’s approval, who will evaluate their appropriateness in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

Use of ppt slides and multimedia educational tools.

Office hours

See the website of Gabriele Ferrario