The Transformation of Mathematics in the Early Mediterranean World: From Problems to EquationsThe transformation of mathematics from its ancient Greek practice to its development in the medieval Arab speaking world is approached by focusing on a single problem proposed by Archimedes and the many solutions offered. From a practice of mathematics based on the localized solution (originating in the polemical practices of early Greek science), we see a transition to a practice of mathematics based on the systematic approach (grounded in the