Engineering in the Ancient World

Engineering in the Ancient World by John G. Landels, published by Constable in 2000, offers a detailed exploration of the engineering achievements of the ancient Greeks and Romans. This new edition, comprising 238 pages, delves into the innovative machines and construction techniques developed by these civilizations, highlighting their contributions to art, culture, and technology that have often been overlooked.
Readers will find a comprehensive examination of various engineering marvels, including crossbows, catapults, water-mills, and aqueducts, showcasing how ancient principles continue to influence modern engineering practices. The book also includes a newly added chapter detailing the reconstruction and sailing of an Ancient Greek trireme, providing insights into the practical applications of ancient engineering methods. Through its focus on science and technology, this work presents a rich narrative of the ingenuity that characterized ancient engineering.
Official synopsis Publisher
This extraordinary book reveals the engineering know-how of the ancient Greeks and Romans, explores in fascinating detail how they developed and constructed their machines, and considers how the same principles are used in modern-day engineering.
The achievements of the Greeks and Romans in art, culture, philosophy and war are well known, but their prowess as engineers has been less well studied. They made many remarkable machines, which were not bettered until the Industrial Revolution. Using wind, water, animal and man power, they made crossbows and catapults for war; built water-mills and pumps, including fire-engines; designed cranes and hoists for building; built and sailed ships both for commerce and war; and constructed aqueducts to carry water for miles to feed their complex municipal plumbing systems.
In this new, revised edition, Dr Landels has added a chapter on how – to his astonishment and delight – it has proved possible to reconstruct and sail an exact replica of an Ancient Greek trireme.
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