The House of Wisdom
Jonathan Lyons2009

« For centuries following the fall of Rome, Western Europe was locked into
the Dark Ages, barely able to tell the time of day. Blind faith, superstition
and sorcery took the place of medicine, while the church harnessed
nascent aggression among the kingdoms to its own ends in the pursuit
of astonishingly violent and cruel holy wars. Arab culture, however, was
thriving, and had become a powerhouse of intellectual exploration and
discussion. The Arabs could measure the earth's circumference, a feat not
matched in the West for eight hundred years; they discovered algebra, were
adept at astronomy and navigation, accurately told the time, and developed
the astrolabe; and they translated all the Greek scientific and philosophical
texts including, importantly, those of Aristotle.
In this fascinating and thoughtful book Jonathan Lyons restores credit to the
Arab thinkers of the past, explores and reveals the extent of their learning and
describes the intrepid adventures of those who went in search of it and who,
in doing so, laid the foundations of what we now call the Renaissance. »

Titre original : The House of Wisdom (2009)