In his posthumous The Chronology of the Ancient Kingdoms Amended (1728) Isaac Newton re-dated a number of significant events in ancient history, most importantly the Argonautic expedition and the Fall of Troy. This article explores the eighteenth-century reception of the Chronology as a text contiguous with Newton's previous works on natural philosophy. In particular, it will be argued that the Chronology was considered as proof that the moderns had made history into a scientific discipline based on principles like those delineated in Newton's Principia.

Antiquitas non fingo: Newton, the Moderns and the Science of Ancient History

Mattana A.
2020-01-01

Abstract

In his posthumous The Chronology of the Ancient Kingdoms Amended (1728) Isaac Newton re-dated a number of significant events in ancient history, most importantly the Argonautic expedition and the Fall of Troy. This article explores the eighteenth-century reception of the Chronology as a text contiguous with Newton's previous works on natural philosophy. In particular, it will be argued that the Chronology was considered as proof that the moderns had made history into a scientific discipline based on principles like those delineated in Newton's Principia.
2020
43
4
447
461
ancient chronology; antiquity; moderns; Newton; prisca sapientia
Mattana A.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2318/1888380
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