▁of ▁medieval ▁Arab ic ▁knowledge ▁to ▁Renaissance ▁Italy . ▁Its ▁rich ▁histor i ographical ▁tradition ▁preserved ▁ancient ▁knowledge ▁upon ▁which ▁splendid ▁art , ▁architecture , ▁literature ▁and ▁techn ological ▁achiev ements ▁were ▁built . ▁ ▁By z antine ▁scient ists ▁preserved ▁and ▁continued ▁the ▁legacy ▁of ▁the ▁great ▁An cient ▁Greek ▁mathemat icians ▁and ▁put ▁mathematics ▁in ▁practice . ▁In ▁early ▁By z ant ium ▁( 5 th ▁to ▁ 7 th ▁century ) ▁the ▁architect s ▁and ▁mathemat icians ▁Is id ore ▁of ▁M ile t us ▁and ▁Anth em ius ▁of ▁Tr alles ▁used ▁complex ▁mathematical ▁formulas ▁to ▁construct ▁the ▁great ▁“ H ag ia ▁Soph ia ” ▁temple , ▁a ▁magnific ent ▁techn ological ▁break through ▁for ▁its ▁time ▁and ▁for ▁centuries ▁afterwards ▁due ▁to ▁its ▁striking ▁geometry , ▁bold ▁design ▁and ▁height . ▁In ▁late ▁By z ant ium ▁( 9 th ▁to ▁ 1 2 th ▁century ) ▁mathemat icians ▁like ▁Michael ▁Ps ell os ▁considered ▁mathematics ▁as ▁a ▁way ▁to ▁interpret ▁the ▁world . ▁ ▁John ▁Phil op on us , ▁a ▁By z antine ▁scholar ▁in ▁the ▁ 5 0 0 s , ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁person ▁to ▁system atically ▁question ▁Arist ot le ' s ▁teaching ▁of ▁physics . ▁This ▁served ▁as ▁an ▁insp iration ▁for ▁Gal ile o ▁Gal ile i ▁ten ▁centuries ▁later ▁as ▁Gal ile o ▁c ited ▁Phil op on us ▁substantial ly ▁in ▁his ▁works ▁when ▁Gal ile o ▁also ▁argued ▁why ▁Arist ot elian ▁physics ▁was ▁fla wed ▁during