History of geometry lost. He was brought to the university at Alexandria by Ptolemy I, King of Egypt. "The Elements" began with definitions of terms, fundamental geometric principles (called "axioms" or "postulates"), and general quantitative principles (called "common notions") from which all the rest of geometry could be logically deduced. Following are his five axioms, somewhat paraphrased to make the English easier to read. Concepts, that are now understood as algebra, were expressed geometrically by Euclid, a method referred to as Greek geometric algebra. Archimedes (287-212 BC), of Syracuse, Sicily, when it was a Greek city-state, is often considered to be the greatest
Ptolemy II Philadelphus in the Library of Alexandria Ptolemy II Philadelphus in the Library of Alexandria Ptolemy Philadelphus in the Library of Alexandria is an 1813 oil on canvas painting by Vincenzo Camuccini. It is now in the National Museum of Capodimonte in Naples. The work was commissioned by Napoleon I along with "Charlemagne Ordering Italian Scholars to Found the University of Paris", both for the central hall of Rome's Palazzo del Quirinale. It shows Ptolemy II Philadelphus in red robes among several philosophers in the Library of Alexandria. The artist had recently returned to Italy from Paris and decided to accept the commission. "Ptolemy" was then moved