Editing Ancient Greek mathematics (section)

=== Archaic period ===
Ancient Greek tradition attributes the origin of Greek mathematics to either [[Thales of Miletus]] (7th century BC), one of the legendary [[Seven Sages of Greece]], or to [[Pythagoras|Pythagoras of Samos]] (6th century BC), both of whom supposedly visited Egypt and Babylon and learned mathematics there.{{sfn|Boyer|1991|pp=43-61}} However, modern scholarship tends to be skeptical of such claims as neither Thales or Pythagoras left any writings that were available in the Classical period. Additionally, widespread literacy and the [[scribe|scribal culture]] that would have supported the transmission of mathematical treatises did not emerge fully until the 5th century; the [[oral literature]] of their time was primarily focused on public speeches and recitations of poetry.{{sfn|Netz|2022|pp=16-19}} The standard view among historians is that the discoveries Thales and Pythagoras are credited with, such as [[Thales's theorem|Thales' Theorem]], the [[Pythagorean theorem]], and the [[Platonic solids]], are the product of attributions by much later authors.{{sfn|Netz|2022|pp=16-17}}