News: Giuseppe Cambiano in memoriam

The Museo Galileo is deeply saddened to mourn the passing of Giuseppe Cambiano, one of the most authoritative scholars in the history of philosophy, science, and technology in the ancient world. These topics were the focus of his latest essay, the recently published Aristotele e la tecnica (Aristotle and Technology) (Il Mulino, 2025). A student of Nicola Abbagnano, Cambiano pursued his teaching career at the University of Turin until 2003. He was then appointed Full Professor of the History of Ancient Philosophy at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, where he became Professor Emeritus in 2012. Professor Cambiano was also a distinguished member of the Accademia dei Lincei and the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, a councilor of the Istituto Nazionale di Studi sul Rinascimento, and served as President of the Consulta Nazionale Universitaria di Filosofia from 1998 to 2000. Combining philological rigor with breadth of vision and remarkable communication skills, Professor Cambiano authored works that remained accessible even to non-specialists. In particular, Prof. Cambiano, alongside his wife Prof. Luciana Repici, collaborated with our Institute on research projects focused on the knowledge of plants in classical antiquity. This research was preliminary to the creation of the exhibition “The Ancient Garden from Babylon to Rome. Science, Art, Nature” (Florence, Limonaia del Giardino di Boboli, 2007).  Among his most influential works are Plato and Technology (Laterza, 1971), Philosophy in Greece and Rome (Laterza, 1983), The Return of the Ancients (Laterza, 1988), At the Origins of Mechanics. Archimedes and Archytas (Arachnion, 1996), Polis, a Model for European Culture (Laterza, 2000), Figures, Machines, Dreams. Studies on Ancient Science (Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura 2006), Why Read the Classics. Interpretation and Writing (Il Mulino 2010), Like a Ship in a Storm. The Government of the City in Plato and Aristotle (Laterza 2016). The Museo Galileo offers its deepest condolences to his wife, Prof. Luciana Repici, his family, and colleagues.