H 115 - Instruments of Knowledge from Antiquity to the Early Modern World

This course examines the development of scientific instruments from Antiquity to the Early Modern period, with a particular focus on the Euro-Mediterranean region. Students will explore questions such as: What defines a scientific instrument? How did science shape scientific instruments, and how did scientific instruments, in turn, shape science? The course will investigate how instruments emerged, interacted, and contributed to evolving scientific paradigms. Special attention will be given to the unexpected role played by now-obsolete scientific traditions-ranging from alchemy and astrology to Aristotelian meteorology-in influencing the design and function of some of the most revolutionary scientific instruments in history. A key component of the course will be hands-on learning: students will analyze and reconstruct historical instruments using replicas and digital tools, including 3D-printed models, and visit museum, library, and archive collections.