Greek culture has, of course, bequeathed us the legacy of the great philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle that has greatly influnced our political and educational structure. In the realm of plants, the greatest Greek was:
- Contemporary of Plato and Aristotle
- First record of botanical study (image at right shows the hand-written text of Theophrastus' work as copied in the Middle Ages; information from the Vatican Library)
- Provided first insights into plant function
- Described 500 plants (morphology, uses, etc)
- Identified sexual reproduction in plants
"plant studies; beginnings of scientific aspects of plant growing" not concerned only with the practical value of plants but also concerned with definitions, form and growth of plants-student of Artistotle who was student of Plato who was student of Socrates; wrote on plant classification, propagation, pollination; wrote 2 botanical books (earliest in world lit) One called (History of Plants or inquiring into plants); (the other called the causes of plants); ran "Lyceum" in Athens (school and center of learning); 2000 students; sent back plants by Alexander the Great while on military expeditions (Asia minor and India); known to have worked with 550 species or varieties of plants; most cultivated. Lyceum was first botanical garden; grew plants studied by Theophrastus. Greatest botanical writer (scientific standpoint) until the Renaissance of the 16th century in Germany.
- also studied mathematics, philosophy, "pure and applied sciences" etc (note historical TREND FROM GENERALIST to SPECIALIST)
'Although the Greeks added only incidentally to the practical, their curiosity and their analytical attitude concerning the nature of things were to have profound effects on the course of future technological advance.'
- domestic...
- courtyards with potted plants (some of these exotics brought from distant lands), small orchards
- or civic...
- public squares, academies
