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This is supplemented by portraits of a number of prominent Syrian men of learning: Bar Daisan, a scholar, philosopher and poet; Afrahat the Persian Sage, an exegetist and philologist; Ephraim the Syrian, a poet of great talent who {246} exerted a profound influence on the subsequent development of Christian literature; Sergius of Resh'aina, a physician reknowned for his extensive theoretical knowledge and practical activities. The author focuses especially on the Syrians' accomplishments in the field of translation, as a result of which links were established between the learning of ancient classical Greece and medieval Arabic, Indian and Iranian learning, and then, through the medium of the Arabs, with learning in Western Europe. Chapter 2, "The Empire. Iran and the Syrians", analyses in detail the spread of Syrian culture in the Middle East and its. interaction with the Greek and Iranian cultures, an interaction resulting from the economic and political position of northern Mesopotamia and the active role the Syrians played in political life and international trade. N. V ...»