`  :Hi , that's a good insight, although doesn't it depend on how you define ``classical``?  I see the term as being contrasted with ``quantum``, so I prefer solution #2.  By that definition, the pre-Newton people did contribute some classical mechanics, e.g., the laws of static equilibrium for levers (Aristotle, Galileo and others), the theory of collisions (Descartes), and even Newton's first law (Galileo?).   Interested in what others think,  `