Greek Astronomy and the Medieval Arabic Tradition The medieval
Islamic astronomers were not merely translators. They may also
have played a key role in the Copernican revolution Islamic
scholars of the Middle Ages are often credited with preserving
the scientific writings of Antiquity through the Dark Ages of
Europe. Saliba argues that the medieval Islamic astronomers did
far more—actually correcting and improving on Greek astronomy by
creating new mathematical tools to explain the motions of
celestial objects. These tools were so useful that Copernicus
appears to have borrowed them for use in his heliocentric
cosmology. In this new light, the medieval Islamic astronomers
played a fundamental role in the scientific revolution that was
forged in Europe during the Renaissance. Note: Java animation
demonstrating Figures 4-7 of this article (including Figure 5,
above) is available when clicking the image. Go to Article