Introduction

he Late Byzantine period was a time of unprecedented activity in the fields of the sciences and of education and learning, as new schools and libraries were founded, older manuscripts were copied, while an abundance of new scientific works (mainly philosophical ones) were produced. It was a time of intense intellectual exploration . All these activities were inspired by the intellectual movement known as the "Palaiologan Renaissance", a basic characteristic of which was the renewal of interest in Greek antiquity and in the study, preservation and revival of its culture. This scientific activity covered every aspect of knowledge and thinking known at the time.