Nineteenth century molecular models with a glance at modern discrete–continuum theories

The origins of multiscale modelling, lying in the classical molecular models of Nineteenth century originally formulated to provide explanations per causas of elasticity, are investigated with the aim of drawing suggestions for the modelling of new complex materials. Conceptual guidelines for deriving scale dependent continuum formulations, here continuum models with additional degrees of freedom (multifield continua), are defined starting from non-classical corpuscular descriptions and the historical and epistemological settings of the current modelling proposals are highlighted.