Takriban karne moja baada ya Herodotus, mwanasayansi, mwanafalsafa na mwanahistoria maarufu wa Kigiriki Aristotle (Aristotélēs, 384–322 KK) anazungumzia 'Palestina' na hataji neno 'Kanaani' – hasa kwa sababu 'Palestina' ilihusu eneo halisi la kihistoria, wakati neno 'Kanaani' pengine lilitokana na simulizi la kiitikadi na kidini la Agano la Kale lililojengwa baadaye, ambalo Aristotle wakati ule hakuweza kulifahamu. Kazi ya Aristotle ni msingi wa sayansi za kijaribio na falsafa za zama za kale, za kati na za kisasa. Kazi yake ilikuwa mfumo wa kwanza kamili wa falsafa ya Magharibi. Kwa mujibu wa Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Aristotle alikuwa mwanasayansi wa kweli wa kwanza katika historia ... [na] kila mwanasayansi anadaiwa naye'.2

Approximately a century after Herodotus, the celebrated Greek scientist, philosopher and historian Aristotle (Aristotélēs, 384–322 BC) talks about ‘Palestine’ and does not mention the term ‘Cana’an’ – primarily because ‘Palestine’ applied to a real historical region, while the term ‘Cana’an’ was probably derived from a subsequently constructed religio-ideological narrative of the Old Testament with which at the time Aristotle could not have been familiar. The work of Aristotle is foundational for ancient, medieval and modern empirical sciences and philosophy. His work constituted the first comprehensive system of Western philosophy. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Aristotle was the first genuine scientist in history ... [and] every scientist is in his debt’.2

Katika kazi yake maarufu, Meteorology (Kigiriki: Μετεωρολογικά (340 KK), Aristotle anaeleza sifa za pekee za maji ya Bahari ya Chumvi (Dead Sea):

In his famous work, Meteorology (Greek: Μετεωρολογικά (340 BC), Aristotle describes the special qualities of the Dead Sea water:

Tena, ikiwa, kama inavyosimuliwa, kuna ziwa huko Palestina, kiasi kwamba ukimfunga mtu au mnyama na kumtupa ndani yake, huelea na haizami, basi hili lingethibitisha tunachokisema. Wanasema kwamba ziwa hili ni chungu na lina chumvi nyingi kiasi kwamba hakuna samaki wanaoishi ndani yake, na kwamba ukiloweka nguo ndani yake kisha ukazitikisa, zinasafishwa.

Again if, as is fabled, there is a lake in Palestine, such that if you bind a man or beast and throw it in it floats and does not sink, this would bear out what we have said. They say that this lake is so bitter and salt that no fish live in it and that if you soak clothes in it and shake them it cleans them.

Hii inaeleweka kwa upana na kimantiki na wanazuoni kuwa ni rejea ya Bahari ya Chumvi (Jacobson 1999: 66‒67)

This is widely and logically understood by scholars to be a reference to the Dead Sea (Jacobson 1999: 66‒67)

Fikra za Kiarabu-Kiislamu, Kiarabu-Kiyahudi na Kikristo za kifalsafa katika Zama za Kati ziliathiriwa sana na istilahi na fikra za Aristotle. Istilahi na majina ya Aristotle yalijulikana vizuri miongoni mwa wasomi na wanasayansi Waislamu wa zama hizo, nao walimheshimu sana Aristotle kiasi cha kumwita 'Mwalimu wa Kwanza'. Katika Zama zote za Kati, wafasiri, wasomi na wanasayansi Waislamu walifahamiana kwa karibu na vyanzo vya Kigiriki vya zamani, vikiwemo vyanzo vya historia, sayansi, falsafa na jiografia. Kitabu cha Kiarabu chenye muhtasari wa Meteorology ya Aristotle, kiitwacho al-ʿAthar al-ʿUlwiyyah, kilitungwa kwa takriban mwaka 800 B.K. na msomi Mkristo Mwarabu Yahya ibn al-Bitriq, na kilisambazwa sana miongoni mwa wasomi Waislamu kwa karne nyingi zilizofuata.

Aristotelian terminology and thought profoundly influenced Arab- Islamic, Arab-Jewish and Christian philosophical thought throughout the Middle Ages. Aristotelian terminology and naming were well known among medieval Muslim intellectuals and scientists and he was widely revered by Muslim scholars as ‘The First Teacher’. Throughout the Middle Ages Muslim translators, scholars and scientists became closely acquainted with classical Greek sources, including sources in history, sciences, philosophy and geography. An Arabic compendium of Aristotle’s Meteorology, called al-ʿAthar al-ʿUlwiyyah was produced c. 800 CE by the Arab Christian scholar Yahya ibn al-Bitriq and was widely circulated among Muslim scholars over the following centuries.