Poincaré and Analysis Situs, the beginning of algebraic topology

Abstract

In 1895 Henri Poincaré published his topological work ‘Analysis Situs’. A new subdiscipline inmathematics was born. Analysis Situs was an inspiration to new fields like algebraic topology,Morse theory and cobordism. With use of today’s knowledge and notation, Dirk Siersma viewsback to this historical work of Poincaré.