E. T. Bell [1], a 20th century historian of science writes about the different strains of ancient/medieval mathematics in his book 'Development of Mathematics'.

E. T. Bell [1], a 20th century historian of science writes about the different strains of ancient/medieval mathematics in his book 'Development of Mathematics'. Greek approach to science is roughly represented by Plato and Pythagoras, where they have a disdain for arithmetical computations and a reverence for the beauty of the mathematical proof, particularly in geometry. Mesopotamia/Babylon, India, and China on the other had a more empirical approach to mathematics, with emphasis on arithmetic, number theory, and so on. Obviously, exceptions exist, for example, Archimedes. Greek is the Platonic ideal- math existing in a different realm uncorrupted by the real world, while Babylonian is the mathematics (and beauty therein) of trade and architecture- modeling the real world using mathematics. Edit: Further, the theory is, when Islamic conquest and the Silk Route connected the west and east through Central Asia and Europe, there was syncretism. In addition to Islamic scholars' rediscovery of the Greek philosophers, they also combined this with ideas from India which via Fibonacci and others made its way to Europe in its new integrated form, right before the Renaissance. [1] E. T. Bell, "Development of Mathematics," Dover, 1st ed 1940 / most recent ed 1990 https://books.google.com/books?id=_5KAnw3QMC8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=_5KAnw3QMC8C&printsec=fron...