SOURCE: "What Euclid Meant: On the Use of Evidence in Studying Ancient Mathematics," in Science and Philosophy in Classical Greece, translated by Alan C. Bowen, Garland Publishing, Inc., 1991, pp. 119-63.

In the following essay, Knorr explores, through Elements, the role of authorial meaning in critical analysis and argues that mathematical historians often make the mistake of reading ancient texts in "the context of modern notions. "

For most historians of mathematics the principal data are documents—records of past thoughts preserved in writing. It follows that the interpretation of documents is central to the methodology of historians and, hence, that discussions of the principles of interpretation can be brought to bear on efforts in this field.

As a specialist in mathematical history, I have found that my colleagues in the areas of literary studies tend to register surprise at the thought that mathematical texts are subject to interpretation, even...