"Philosophy Presenting the Seven Liberal Arts to Boethius," an illustration from c.1460-1470. On the far left, Boethius speaks to Philosophy, who presents him with personifications of the seven liberal arts, the basic studies taught in medieval universities. From left to right, an inscription and an attribute identify each of the liberal arts: Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Music, Geometry, Arithmetic, and Astronomy. Boethius (c.480 - 524/525 AD, born in Rome), was a philosopher of the early 6th century, who also wrote about music, astronomy, geometry, and arithmetic.