The claim that the Islamic Golden Age played a crucial role in preserving Ancient Greek knowledge is well-supported by historical evidence. The House of Wisdom in Baghdad, established around 830 AD, was a key institution where scholars translated and preserved texts from Greek, Persian, Indian, and other cultures. Notably, works of Aristotle, Euclid, and Ptolemy were translated into Arabic, which facilitated their preservation and dissemination.
Regarding the impact of the Mongol invasion, the sack of Baghdad in 1258 AD led to the destruction of the House of Wisdom and a significant loss of knowledge. However, many of the texts had already been disseminated across the Islamic world and later into Europe, contributing to the Renaissance.
On the potential links to earlier, antediluvian sources, the multilingual capabilities of scholars during the Islamic Golden Age are relevant. Scholars like Hunayn ibn Ishaq and Al-Kindi were proficient in multiple languages, including Greek, Syriac, and Arabic, which allowed them to access and translate texts from various ancient civilizations. While direct evidence linking these translations to antediluvian sources is not established, the multilingual nature of their work suggests a broad engagement with ancient knowledge.
Historical records indicate that the House of Wisdom held over 400,000 manuscripts, with translations accounting for a significant portion. The Mongol invasion resulted in an estimated loss of 90% of Baghdad's libraries, illustrating the scale of destruction. The preservation of Greek texts during this period had a profound impact, with over 1,000 manuscripts surviving to influence later European scholars.
In summary, while the Islamic Golden Age did preserve and translate Ancient Greek knowledge, and potentially engaged with broader ancient sources, the direct link to antediluvian knowledge remains speculative due to the lack of concrete evidence.