Greek and Latin technology (a sourcebook): annotated translations of Greek and Latin texts and documents

616 Pages·1998·3.84 MB·English

by  Sherwood

GREEK AND ROMAN TECHNOLOGY:
A SOURCEBOOK
At its most basic level, technology can be regarded as an attempt by humans to control
and master the natural environment, changing it to a more hospitable one and so
improving the quality of life.
In this volume, the authors translate and annotate key passages from ancient authors to
provide a history and an analysis of the origins and development of technology. Among
the topics covered are energy, basic mechanical devices, hydraulic engineering,
household industry, transport and trade, and military technology. The sourcebook presents
150 ancient authors and a diverse range of literary genres, such as the encyclopaedic
Natural History of Pliny the Elder, the poetry of Homer and Hesiod, the philosophies of
Plato, Aristotle and Lucretius, and the agricultural treatise of Varro.
Humphrey, Oleson and Sherwood provide a comprehensive and accessible collection
of rich and varied sources to illustrate and elucidate the beginnings of technology.
Glossaries of technological terminology, indexes of authors and subjects, introductions
outlining the general significance of the evidence, notes to explain the specific details and
a current bibliography make this volume a valuable research and teaching tool.
John W.Humphrey is Head of the Department of Greek, Latin and Ancient History at
the University of Calgary, Canada. John P.Oleson is Professor of Greek and Roman
Studies at the University of Victoria, Canada. Andrew N.Sherwood is Assistant
Professor at Concordia University and Lecturer at McGill University in Montreal,
Canada.

GREEK AND ROMAN TECHNOLOGY:
A SOURCEBOOK
Annotated Translations of Greek and Latin
Texts and Documents
John W.Humphrey, John P.Oleson and
Andrew N.Sherwood
London and New York
First published 1998
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009.
To purchase your own copy of this or any of
Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks
please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
© 1998 John W.Humphrey, John P.Oleson and Andrew N.Sherwood
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book has been requested
ISBN 0-203-41325-3 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-72149-7 (Adobe ebook Reader Format)
ISBN 0-415-06136-9 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-06137-7 (pbk)
TO LAURA,
KAREN, SONJA, ERIC,
ANGUS, JOHN , MIKE, ALLISON, MAC
WITH LOVE AND GRATITUDE

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface and Acknowledgements xi
List of Abbreviations xiii
xiv
Introduction
A. Society and Technology in Antiquity
B. Literary Sources for Ancient Technology
C. Archaeology as a Source for the History of Technology
D. Ancient Weights, Measures, and Coinage

1 The Rise of Humans and Human Technology 1

2 Sources of Energy and Basic Mechanical Devices 22
A. Sources of Energy and Prime Movers
B. Basic Machines
C. Mechanical Gadgets
3 Agriculture 73
4 Food Processing 139
5 Mining and Quarrying 163
A. Mining
B. Quarrying
6 Metallurgy 194
7 Construction Engineering 222
8 Hydraulic Engineering 268
9 Household Crafts and Workshop Production 311
A. Metal-Working
B. Wood-Working
C. Textiles and Leather
D. Ceramics and Glass
E. Applied Chemistry
F. Large-Scale, Organized Production
10 Transport and Trade 387
A. Land Transport
viii Contents
B. Navigation
C. Standards of Trade
11 Record-Keeping 486
A. Time-Keeping
B. Writing and Literacy
12 Military Technology 512
13 Attitudes towards Labour, Innovation, and Technology 547
Indexes 568
A. Index of Passages Translated
B. Subject Index
List of Illustrations

Fig. 1. P. 27. Windmill-powered water organ pump. Hero, Pneumatica 1.43. From
W.Schmidt, Heronis Alexandrinus Opera, I: Pneumatica. Leipzig: Teubner, 1899,
p. 205, fig. 44.
Fig. 2. P. 28. Aeölipile. Hero, Pneumatica 1.43. From W.Schmidt, Heronis
Alexandrinus Opera, I: Pneumatica. Leipzig: Teubner, 1899, p. 230, fig. 55.

Fig.3. P. 30. Water-powered whistling wheel. Philo of Byzantium, Pneumatica 61.
T.Beck, “Philon von Byzanz.” Beiträge zur Geschichte der Technik und Industrie 2
(1911) 73, fig. 21.
Fig.4. P. 53. Barylkos. Hero, Dioptra 37. From H.Schoene, Heronis Alexandrinus Opera,
III: Dioptra. Leipzig: Teubner, 1903, p. 309, fig. 115.
Fig.5 . P. 60. Bronze force pump from Bolsena. Drawing by C.Mundigler.
Fig.6 . P. 64. Singing bird automaton. Hero, Pneumatica 1.15. From W.Schmidt, Heronis
Alexandrinus Opera, I: Pneumatica. Leipzig: Teubner, 1899, p. 89, fig. 16.
Fig.7. P. 65. Whistling bird and owl automaton. Hero, Pneumatica 1.16. From W.Schmidt,

Heronis Alexandrinus Opera, I: Pneumatica. Leipzig: Teubner, 1899, p. 93, fig. 17.

Fig.8. P. 66. Automatic trumpeting doorbell. Hero, Pneumatica 1.16–17. From

W.Schmidt, Heronis Alexandrinus Opera, I: Pneumatica. Leipzig: Teubner, 1899,
p. 98, fig. 18.
Fig.9. P. 67. Coin-operated holy water dispenser. Hero, Pneumatica 1.21. From

W.Schmidt, Heronis Alexandrinus Opera, I: Pneumatica. Leipzig: Teubner, 1899,
p. 113, fig. 22.
Fig.10. P. 68. Lamp with self-trimming wick. Hero, Pneumatica 1.34. From W.Schmidt,

Heronis Alexandrinus Opera, I: Pneumatica. Leipzig: Teubner, 1899, p. 163, fig.
35.
Fig.11. P. 69. Self-opening temple doors. Hero, Pneumatica 1.38. From W. S chmidt,

Heronis Alexandrinus Opera, I: Pneumatica. Leipzig: Teubner, 1899, p. 176, fig.
39.
Fig.1 2. P. 310. Wheel with compartmented body. J.G.Landels, Engineering in the Ancient
World. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1981, p. 64, fig. 15.
Fig.13. P. 311. Wheel with compartmented rim (detail of compartments). J.G.Landels,

Engineering in the Ancient World. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1981,
p. 68, fig. 16.
Fig.1 4. P. 312. Pair of compartmented wheels. J.G.Landels, Engineering in the Ancient
World. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1981, p. 70, fig. 17.
Fig.1 5. P. 312. Tread-wheel driven bucket-chain. J.G.Landels, Engineering in the Ancient
World. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1981, p. 71, fig. 18.
Fig.16.P. 314. Paddle-wheel driven bucket-chain. Philo of Byzantium, Pneumatica 65.
Bernard Carra de Vaux, “Le livre des appareils pneumatiques et des machines

hydrauliques de Philon de Byzance d’après les versions arabes d’Oxford et de
Constantinople.” Academie des Inscriptions et des Belles Lettres: Notice et extraits
des mss. de la Bibliothèque nationale, Paris 38 (1903) 210.