In Folha, Viana discusses the absence of great mathematicians in Rome.

Reproduction of Marcelo Viana's column in Folha de São Paulo.

This Monday (23), the Brazilian embassy in Rome , located in the beautiful Piazza Navona, was the stage for an event on Brazil- Italy collaboration in mathematics . On the occasion, the Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) and the Istituto Nazionale di Alta Matematica (INdAM) signed a bilateral agreement to promote the exchange of researchers and students from both countries.

Bilateral collaboration dates back to the 1940s and 50s, when prominent Italian mathematicians spent long periods in Brazil, helping to launch some of our most important institutions, such as the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics at USP (University of São Paulo). Today, Italy is one of our main partners in this area.

This circumstance led me to reflect on the unique position of mathematics in Roman antiquity. Unique in its absence: in almost a millennium, the most remarkable empire the world has ever seen never produced a noteworthy native mathematician. The closest was Boethius (c. 480–524), but his works are merely (poor) translations of Greek works. The contrast with their Greek neighbors could not be more striking.

This fact is surprising: excellent architects, engineers, and administrators, the Romans certainly made extensive use of mathematics in building their civilization. And while it's true that other great empires were mediocre in the production of mathematical knowledge, the Romans had the advantage of being well-versed in Greek civilization and its extraordinary contribution to the discipline, which they admired.

We know that they were aware of the importance of mathematics to what they did and the need to promote the dissemination of this knowledge. The architect Vitruvius (c. 70 BC – c. 15 BC), whose ideas inspired Leonardo da Vinci in "The Vitruvian Man," insisted that architecture students learn geometry, optics, arithmetic, and astronomy. And Galen (129–216), the "father of medicine," recommended that future physicians of the 2nd century study geometry, arithmetic, and astronomy.

The most common explanation is that, being creatures of enormous practicality, the Romans had no appreciation for theory or abstract inquiry. They applied mathematics to their aqueducts, temples, roads, and cities, but were never interested in speculating about the ideas they used, in understanding them, or in expanding upon them.

Read the full article on the Folha de São Paulo website.

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