For this instalment of “10 Questions for the Historian of Science,” I spoke to Clemency Montelle about her research. Prof. Montelle delivered a public talk at the launch of the ASTRA Research Group in October 2024.
Ole Birk Laursen: What is your academic background?
Clemency Montelle: I am Clemency Montelle, and I am a Professor in Mathematics and the Head of the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Ole Birk Laursen: What is the topic of your research and how did you become interested in this?
Clemency Montelle: My research focuses on the history of mathematics, particularly the recovery and interpretation of ancient mathematical and astronomical texts written in languages such as Ancient Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Classical Arabic, and even Cuneiform.
As an undergraduate I completed a double major in Mathematics and Classics. It wasn’t until about four years into my degree that I had a wonderful realization: I didn't have to choose between these two passions. In addition to reading Homer and Herodotus, I could also read Euclid, Archimedes, and ancient mathematical texts in their original languages. It seems extraordinary now, but it took me that long to realize that mathematics has a history. That discovery completely changed the direction of my career.
Ole Birk Laursen: What are your working theories and methods?
Clemency Montelle: My research combines mathematics, philology, history, and digital humanities. I work directly with original manuscripts, often studying texts that have never been translated or analyzed before. That involves locating manuscripts in libraries and archives around the world, translating technically sophisticated mathematical material, reconstructing damaged or incomplete texts, and using mathematical reasoning to understand how historical authors were thinking. Increasingly, I also develop digital tools to analyze historical numerical data and create new ways of representing complex scientific manuscripts.
Ole Birk Laursen: How is your research situated within the field of the history of science?
Clemency Montelle: The history of mathematics sits at the heart of the history of science because mathematics has always been the language through which people have understood the natural world. My work is particularly interdisciplinary, bringing together historians, mathematicians, linguists, astronomers, and digital humanities specialists. Much of my research also contributes to broadening the history of science by highlighting sophisticated mathematical traditions from India and other non-Western cultures that have often been overlooked.
Ole Birk Laursen: What is the state of the history of science today?
Clemency Montelle: The field is undergoing an exciting transformation. Historians are increasingly moving beyond traditional Eurocentric narratives to explore how scientific knowledge developed across many different cultures and through networks of exchange.
Ole Birk Laursen: Why do we need to study the history of science?
Clemency Montelle: Every theorem, discovery, and technological breakthrough has a human story behind it. Studying the history of science helps us understand not only how knowledge develops, but also how societies ask questions, solve problems, and build on the ideas of previous generations. It reminds us that science is a profoundly human endeavor and that innovation has always depended upon collaboration across cultures.
Ole Birk Laursen: What is the value and impact of your research today? How does it connect with contemporary debates in broader society?
Clemency Montelle: My research reminds us that mathematics is a truly global human achievement. By uncovering sophisticated mathematical traditions from cultures that have often been underrepresented in standard histories, it challenges simplistic narratives about where scientific ideas come from. It also has practical applications in education, helping students see mathematics not as a fixed body of knowledge but as a creative, evolving discipline shaped by many different peoples and cultures. More broadly, it contributes to conversations about diversity, inclusion, and the global nature of knowledge.
Ole Birk Laursen: Are there any unusual stories you have come across in your research? Anything that changed your perception of dominant historical narratives?
Clemency Montelle: One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is discovering just how sophisticated many ancient mathematical traditions were. Some Sanskrit astronomical texts, for example, contain remarkably advanced computational techniques that anticipated ideas often associated with much later European mathematics. These discoveries continually remind me that the history of mathematics is far richer, more interconnected and more global than we realized. Bringing these to light is really exciting!
Ole Birk Laursen: What are your plans for future research?
Clemency Montelle: I’m continuing to work on several major collaborative projects involving unpublished Sanskrit astronomical manuscripts. More broadly, I’m interested in developing new ways of bringing the history of mathematics into education, helping students appreciate both the intellectual beauty of mathematics and its rich multicultural history and find a way to engage with it, when the usual forms of instruction haven’t captured their imagination.
Ole Birk Laursen: What is the future of the history of science?
Clemency Montelle: I think the future lies in greater collaboration across disciplines and across cultures. Historians of science are increasingly working alongside mathematicians, scientists, computer scientists, and linguists to answer questions that none of us could tackle alone. At the same time, digital technologies are opening extraordinary possibilities for preserving, analyzing, and sharing historical sources.
Ole Birk Laursen: Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!