Greece

Greece is one of the countries in the Balkan being in both the south and the eastern end of Europe. With big cities as Athens and Thessaloniki the country has in total more than 10 million habitants. Greece consists of thousands of islands in multiple seas in the Mediterranean area. It is surrounded by both other countries in the Balkan as Turkey in the east.

Even though Greece has tons of amazing places to visit, this study trip will mainly focus on Athens. After an alliance of Greek city-states defeated the Persians in 490 BC, Athens became the centre of civilization for hundreds of years. In ancient times, Athens stood as a beacon of intellectualism and philosophical inquiry, with mathematics occupying a central role in its cultural and educational landscape. The city-state produced renowned mathematicians such as Thales, Pythagoras, and Euclid, whose groundbreaking discoveries laid the foundation for Western mathematics.

"Thales, often considered the fir­st true mathematician, made significant contributions to geometry and is credited with introducing deductive reasoning into the field. Pythagoras, famous for the Pythagorean theorem, explored the mystical and mathematical relationships between numbers, shaping the Pythagorean school of thought. Euclid, whose work \"Elements\" is one of the most influential mathematical texts in history, systematized geometry and laid down the principles of logical reasoning that are still fundamental to mathematics today.

In the modern era, Athens continues to be a hub for mathematical research and education. The city boasts many big technical companies and prestigious universities, where mathematicians pursue cutting-edge research across various fields, from algebraic geometry to mathematical analysis."

Research

On the study trip, we will be researching how the ancient Greek mathematicians influence the world of today. The research question is stated as follows: “How do the ancient Greek mathematicians influence the world of today?”. The participants will visit companies and universities in Athens to see how they keep up with modern technology. Apart from that, the participants will experience what the culture and daily life is like. It will most likely be different from what they are used to in the Netherlands.

For the report, this research question is divided into three sub-research questions, namely, "How tightly bound are Mathematics and Philosophy in the current academic and business culture?", "What is the relevance of commerce and logistics in modern Greece compared to ancient Greece, when the country was a military, commercial and scientific power?", and "How have the mathematical principles of proportion and symmetry shaped and influenced modern architecture in Athens?". At the end of the trip, the participants will hopefully have a better understanding of how ancient Greek mathematicians still affect the modern world.