Systems and their origins in Ancient Greece

The notion of the “system” is fundamental and it is entering every field of human activity from technology to social studies, economy, health, environment etc. Many of the technological challenges of modern society are linked to complex forms of behaviour, which are system properties. Systems concepts are fundamentally philosophical notions, which however are intimately linked to Measurement, Modelling, Diagnostics, Estimation and Control and thus underpins the technology of Automation. Such notions may be traced back to Ancient Greece and in particular in the developments of areas such as Philosophy, Mathematics, Automation and Medicine. This paper aims to investigate the origins of the Systems Concepts in Ancient Greece and in particular to establish their links to the early notions of Conceptual and Physical Modelling, the development of Measurements, their role in the shaping of Control principles and finally their influence on Technology and in particular the field of Automation. The intention is to explore the early form of such notions, in the period up to 330 B.C., and contribute to a modern account of these concepts that demonstrates their evolution through time.