In this book the author presents a comprehensive study of Diophantos"™
monumental work known as Arithmetika, a highly acclaimed and unique set
of books within the known Greek mathematical corpus. Its author,
Diophantos, is an enigmatic figure of whom we know virtually nothing.
Starting with Egyptian, Babylonian and early Greek mathematics the
author paints a picture of the sources the Arithmetika may have had.
Life in Alexandria, where Diophantos lived, is described and, on the
basis of the limited available evidence, his biography is outlined. Of
Arithmetika"™s 13 books only 6 survive in Greek. It was not until 1971
that these were complemented by the discovery of 4 other books in an
Arab translation. This allows the author to describe the structure, the
contents and the mathematics of the Arithmetika in detail. Furthermore
it is shown that Diophantos had a remarkable skill to solve higher
degree equations. 
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