A a 
XIX 
PAPPUS OF ALEXANDRIA 
We have seen that the Golden Age of Greek geometry 
ended with the time of Apollonius of Perga. But the influence 
of Euclid, Archimedes and Apollonius continued, and for some 
time there was a succession of quite competent mathematicians 
who, although not originating anything of capital importance, 
kept up the tradition. Besides those who were known for 
particular investigations, e.g. of new curves or surfaces, there 
were such men as Geminus who, it cannot be doubted, were 
thoroughly familiar with the great classics. Geminus, as we 
have seen, wrote a comprehensive work of almost encyclopaedic 
character on the classification and content of mathematics, 
including the history of the development of each subject. 
But the beginning of the Christian era sees quite a different 
state of things. Except in sphaeric and astronomy (Menelaus 
and Ptolemy), production was limited to elementary text 
books of decidedly feeble quality. In the meantime it would 
seem that the study of higher geometry languished or was 
completely in abeyance, until Pappus arose to revive interest 
in the subject. From the way in which he thinks it necessary 
to describe the contents of the classical works belonging to 
the Treasury of Analysis, for example, one would suppose 
that by his time many of them were, if not lost, completely 
forgotten, and that the great task which he set himself was 
the re-establishment of geometry on its former high plane of 
achievement. Presumably such interest as he was able to 
arouse soon flickered out, but for us his work has an in 
estimable value as constituting, after the works of the great 
mathematicians which have actually survived, the most im 
portant of all our sources.