Accounting for overspecification and indifference to visual accuracy in manuscript diagrams: A tentative explanation based on transmission

Abstract

The first time you encounter a medieval manuscript of a Greek mathematical or astronomical work, like those of Archimedes, Euclid, or Aristarchus, the most impressive feature is the odd configuration many diagrams show. There is a tendency to represent more regularity among the geometric objects than what the argument demands and usually they are not accurate graphical depictions of the mathematical object discussed in the text. Most scholars believe that these tendencies go back to the Greek authors themselves. In this paper, I propose a different explanation: the odd characteristics should not be attributed to Greek authors, but to transmission.