Catalogue of Surveying and Related Instruments

The survey and related instruments belonging to the Museo Galileo are an important resource for understanding the nature of applied mathematics in Renaissance and early modern Europe. While nowadays the term "mathematician" generally refers to tools related to drawing and calculation, at the time it also included those for all practical disciplines in which mathematical techniques were used, such as astronomy, navigation, cartography, ballistics, the composition of numbers, architecture and, of course, surveying.

Much of the exceptional collection of the Museo Galileo was assembled during the Medici era in the 16th and 17th centuries.

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The author

After studying the History and Philosophy of Science, Jim Bennett was constantly involved in museum management and research related to the history of scientific instruments. It is with great knowledge and accuracy that he has cataloged this important collection, making its consultation easy through a typological and chronological subdivision.