The Map of Knowledge: How Classical Ideas Were Lost and Found: A History in Seven Cities

Author: Violet Moller

Rating: ⭐ 4/5

Date Read: 2025/01/07

Pages: 304

When I was first taught about the Renaissance, it was a simple story of lost and found. We (and by we I mean Western Civilization, the implied default) had knowledge in antiquity. The Middle Ages came, and we lost that knowledge. Then the Renaissance happened because we found it all again.

Many historical accounts of the fall of Rome and the early Middle Ages focus on how (and whether) we lost our knowledge. In contrast, The Map of Knowledge chronicles the people who preserved our knowledge for long enough that it could be found again.

Violet Moller tells this story through the lens of three scholars: Euclid, Ptolemy, and Galen. She explores cities that became centers of learning, many of which have been glossed over by Western historical accounts because they were part of the Islamic world.

The Map of Knowledge is a quick read that will appeal to those interested in scholarship and academic cultures. My only complaint is that it was too short.