String, Straightedge, and Shadow

The Story of Geometry

by Julia E. Diggins

This is an ingenious little resource that traces the history of the development of geometry, beginning in prehistory and ending with Euclid. It is wonderful as a living math book, or as a supplemental reading text for world history, particularly study of the ancient Greeks. It includes a few activities the students can try and brings to mind many more. My mind was racing the whole time I read it!

Here are the chapter headings:

The Beginnings: Geometry and Nature

In the Ancient Near East: Geometry and Daily Life

The Ionian Greeks: Geometry and Thought

Thr Secret Brotherhood: Geometry, Mathematics, and Magic

From the Academy to the Museum: Geometry, Art, and Science

(paperback, 155 pages, reprint of 1965 text)