480?-524

Roman Philosopher and Scholar

Though he is remembered primarily as a philosopher, Boethius had a powerful impact on the history of mathematics. This was in large part because progress in mathematical learning among Western Europeans had come to a halt several centuries before his time, and would not resume for another half-millennium or more. Thus Boethius's writings remained among the principal guides to mathematics during the early medieval period.

Four years before his birth, the Western Roman Empire came to an end when the Germanic chieftain Odoacer (433?-493) removed the last Roman emperor from power and declared himself "king of Italy." At the time, the Romans did not perceive the fall of the Western Empire as an earth-shattering event, and many believed that business would continue as usual. Certainly that was the impression among Boethius's family, a distinguished line that could...