“Antient” philosophy-science in Magna Graecia: Cassiodorus and Pythagoras and 20th c. literary travellers, Gissing and Douglas

The paperʹs philosophy-science time-scale stretches over a millenium, from 6th c. B.C. Pythagoras and into 6th c. A.D., Cassiodorus. Interest centres on Greek “science”, especially that of Pythagoras, in the colonies in Greater Greece — the foot of Italy — and on the writings of Capella and Boethius in the 5th c. A.D., as appreciated by Cassiodorus. His regard for the latters’ work and interest in its transmission to the universities in the Middle Ages became the Trivium and Quadrivium, the seven Liberal Arts-Sciences. The case is argued that Cassiodorus was probably the instigator of Benedictine regard for scholarship and was pivotal in facilitating the transmission of the latter “Seven Pillars of Wisdom”. Current general interest in the ancient classical scholarship of this region was stimulated by two early 20th c. literary travellers, Gissing and Douglas, whose writings, after visiting the region, we describe.