An Ancient Greek Treatise on Magic Squares

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The discovery of an Arabic translation of an ancient treatise sheds light on advanced methods for constructing magic squares, significantly enhancing our understanding of Greek mathematics. The early tenth-century translator salvaged two damaged manuscripts, allowing him to piece together the text. This translation initiated Arabic studies on magic squares, revealing that Greek scholarship on the topic was more advanced than previously thought. However, the lack of additional preserved texts leaves a gap in the understanding of the earlier history of this mathematical concept.