古典时期数学成就的精华是欧几里得的《原本》和阿波罗尼奥斯的《圆锥曲线》(Conic Sections)。为领略这些著作,须对当时数学的本质所产生的巨大变革以及希腊人所面临的和解决的问题进行了解。此外,从这些精心撰述的著作中,我们无法看出前此三百年间数学上的创造性工作,或此后数学史上关系重大的一些问题。古典希腊数学是在先后相继的几个中心 The essence of the classical achievements of mathematics is the “original” of Euclid and the “Conic Sections” of Apollonius. To appreciate these books, one must understand the great changes that have taken place in the nature of mathematics at that time, as well as the problems faced and resolved by the Greeks. In addition, we can not discern from these well-written works the mathematical creative work of the previous three hundred years or the subsequent great problems in the history of mathematics. Classical Greek mathematics is one after another in several centers