Question

During the Abbasid Caliphate, the Translation Movement (centered in Baghdad from the late eighth to the tenth century) was not merely a passive transmission of ancient Greek knowledge into the Arabic language. Rather, it was a dynamic and highly selective process driven by the immediate administrative, medical, and astrological needs of the rapidly growing Islamic empire. Translators did not aim to preserve Greek texts out of purely historical curiosity or a desire to absorb Hellenistic culture in its entirety. Instead, the focus was intensely practical and utilitarian. For instance, Greek medical treatises by physicians such as Galen and Hippocrates were translated primarily because the expanding urban centers of the Caliphate required a formally systematized medical profession to manage public health. Similarly, advanced astronomical texts were highly prized because they allowed administrators to accurately determine precise prayer times and maintain the lunar calendar, while also enabling court astrologers to make important political predictions. Conversely, Greek literature, such as the epic poetry of Homer or the dramatic tragedies of Sophocles, was almost entirely ignored by translators during this period. The mythological and polytheistic elements inherent in Greek poetry held little practical value for Abbasid scholars and explicitly conflicted with established Islamic theological frameworks. Consequently, the surviving Arabic manuscripts from this era represent a heavily filtered intellectual heritage, one that prized tangible utility and applied sciences over literary exploration or historical antiquarianism.

Based on the passage, which of the following can be most reasonably inferred about the works of Homer and Sophocles?