Sonja Brentjes. “The Mathematical Sciences and Medicine in Safavid Iran”
Sonja Brentjes. “The Mathematical Sciences and Medicine in Safavid Iran” in Rudi Matthee (ed.). The Safavid World. London: Routledge, 2021, p. 428-446
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1In this chapter on the mathematical sciences and medicine, Sonja Brentjes grapples from the outset with a lack of secondary scholarship despite the existence of a relatively large number of surviving sources. The author finds that the nineteenth century assumption of stagnation and decline in Safavid science that has long constrained research is gradually being questioned. Conveying the results of recent work, the chapter charts a dynamic historical landscape in which the relationship of court and religion to the mathematical sciences and medicine—these more ‘professional’ scientific disciplines—varied by region and decade. The author’s own research and familiarity with manuscript collections are employed to give a valuable overview of changes in pedagogy and scientific practice over the Safavid period. The chapter includes sections on specific objects and discussion on the exchange of knowledge and artefacts across imperial borders.
References
Electronic reference
Riaz Tony Howey, “Sonja Brentjes. “The Mathematical Sciences and Medicine in Safavid Iran””, Abstracta Iranica [Online], Volume 44 | 2022, document 1, Online since 30 November 2022, connection on 15 December 2025. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/abstractairanica/55214; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/abstractairanica.55214
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