Interpretation of Atomic Theory and Invisible Particles in De Rerum Natura: A STEAM Approach through Music, Poetry, and Digital Heritage

This paper explores the interpretation of Epicurean atomistic theory and the visualiza-tion of invisible particles and structures inspired by Lucretius' De Rerum Natura through a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) framework. This study is guided by the research question: How do simple elements combine to generate com-plex structure?

The discussion is based on the author's original methodologies, SMS (Stories based on Music about Science) and SMH (Stories based on Music about Heritage), which integrate scientific concepts, artistic expression, music, and cultural heritage. Drawing on Book I of De Rerum Natura, in which Titus Lucretius Carus presents one of the earliest system-atic accounts of Epicurean atomism, the paper reinterprets the concepts of semina rerum ("seeds of things"), corpora prima ("first bodies"), and primordia rerum ("first beginnings") through three interconnected components: poetry, music, and digital visualization.

The poetic component consists of an original adaptation based on William Ellery Leonard's English translation of Book I, complemented by passages from the original Latin text. The musical component is represented by the author's original composition under the artistic name of Aleona von Sultanova, Carmen Philosophicum. The visual com-ponent employs digital interpretations inspired by Splendor Solis, a sixteenth-century il-luminated manuscript attributed to Salomon Trismosin, which functions here as a sym-bolic and cultural framework for representing hidden processes, transformation, and the emergence of visible forms from invisible constituents. By bringing together classical philosophy, music, poetry, digital heritage, and contemporary perspectives from bio-physics, the study proposes an interdisciplinary model for STEAM education and public engagement. This project was presented at the European Joint Theory/Experiment Meet-ing on Membranes (28 January 2026, in Ljubljana), where Carmen Philosophicum was also introduced alongside the related STEAM project Architecture of the Invisible: Membranes.