Ancient Technology

Ancient Technology

Author: John W. Humphrey

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2006-09-30

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 031308386X

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Since ancient times, technological advances have increased man's chances for survival. From the practicality of a Roman aqueduct to the art of the written word, man has always adapted his environment to meet his needs, and to provide himself with sustenance, comfort, comfort, leisure, a higher quality of living, and a thriving culture. This concise reference source takes a closer look at six technological events that significantly impacted the evolution of civilization, from the Palaeolithic age to the height of the Roman Empire. As he touches on the common elements of ancient technology—energy, machines, mining, metallurgy, ceramics, agriculture, engineering, transportation, and communication—Humphrey asks questions central to understanding the impact of ancient tools on the modern world: What prompts change? What cultural traditions inhibit change? What effect do these changes have on their societies and civilization? Humphrey explores technologies as both physical tools and as extensions of the human body, beginning with the invention of the Greek alphabet and including such accomplishments as early Neolithic plant cultivation, the invention of coinage, the building of the Parthenon, and Rome's urban water system. Detailed line drawings of tools and machines make ancient mechanics more easily accessible. Primary documents, glossary, biographies, and a timeline dating from the Palaeolithic age to the Roman Empire round out the work, making this an ideal reference source for understanding the tools of the ancient world.


Ancient Machines

Ancient Machines

Author: Michael Woods

Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books

Published: 2000-01-01

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 9780822529941

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Discusses the invention of six simple machines in various ancient civilizations from the Stone Age to the fall of the Roman Empire.


Ancient Machine Technology

Ancient Machine Technology

Author: Michael Woods

Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books

Published: 2011-01-01

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 0761365230

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Examines the machines created by ancient cultures.


Lost Technologies of Ancient Egypt

Lost Technologies of Ancient Egypt

Author: Christopher Dunn

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2010-06-24

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 159143968X

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A unique study of the engineering and tools used to create Egyptian monuments • Presents a stone-by-stone analysis of key Egyptian monuments, including the statues of Ramses II and the tunnels of the Serapeum • Reveals that highly refined tools and mega-machines were used in ancient Egypt From the pyramids in the north to the temples in the south, ancient artisans left their marks all over Egypt, unique marks that reveal craftsmanship we would be hard pressed to duplicate today. Drawing together the results of more than 30 years of research and nine field study journeys to Egypt, Christopher Dunn presents a stunning stone-by-stone analysis of key Egyptian monuments, including the statue of Ramses II at Luxor and the fallen crowns that lay at its feet. His modern-day engineering expertise provides a unique view into the sophisticated technology used to create these famous monuments in prehistoric times. Using modern digital photography, computer-aided design software, and metrology instruments, Dunn exposes the extreme precision of these monuments and the type of advanced manufacturing expertise necessary to produce them. His computer analysis of the statues of Ramses II reveals that the left and right sides of the faces are precise mirror images of each other, and his examination of the mysterious underground tunnels of the Serapeum illuminates the finest examples of precision engineering on the planet. Providing never-before-seen evidence in the form of more than 280 photographs, Dunn’s research shows that while absent from the archaeological record, highly refined tools, techniques, and even mega-machines must have been used in ancient Egypt.


Ancient Inventions

Ancient Inventions

Author: Peter J. James

Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 702

ISBN-13: 0345401026

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A guide to ancient accomplishments and inventions unearths the origins of modern creations, including computers in ancient Greece, plastic surgery in India in the first century B.C., and a postal service in medieval Baghdad


Technology and Science in Ancient Civilizations

Technology and Science in Ancient Civilizations

Author: Richard Olson

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 0275989364

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Why did the Greeks excel in geometry, but lag begin the Mesopotamians in arithmetic? How were the great pyramids of Egypt and the Han tombs in China constructed? What did the complex system of canals and dykes in the Tigris and Euphrates river valley have to do with the deforestation of Lebanon's famed cedar forests? This work presents a cross-cultural comparison of the ways in which the ancients learned about and preserved their knowledge of the natural world, and the ways in which they developed technologies that enabled them to adapt to and shape their surroundings. Covering the major ancient civilizations - those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, the Indus Valley, and Meso-America - Olson explores how language and numbering systems influenced the social structure, how seemingly beneficial construction projects affected a civilization's rise or decline, how religion and magic shaped both medicine and agriculture, and how trade and the resulting cultural interactions transformed the making of both everyday household items and items intended as art. Along the way, Olson delves into how scientific knowledge and its technological applications changed the daily lives of the ancients.


Science and Technology in World History, Volume 1

Science and Technology in World History, Volume 1

Author: David Deming

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2014-01-10

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 0786456574

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Science is a living, organic activity, the meaning and understanding of which have evolved incrementally over human history. This book, the first in a roughly chronological series, explores the development of the methodology and major ideas of science, in historical context, from ancient times to the decline of classical civilizations around 300 A.D. It includes details specific to the histories of specialized sciences including astronomy, medicine and physics--along with Roman engineering and Greek philosophy. It closely describes the contributions of such individuals as Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Euclid, Archimedes, Ptolemy, Seneca, Pliny the Elder, and Galen.


Ancient Technology in Peru and Bolivia

Ancient Technology in Peru and Bolivia

Author: David Hatcher Childress

Publisher: SCB Distributors

Published: 2012-10-31

Total Pages: 486

ISBN-13: 1935487981

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David Hatcher Childress, popular Lost Cities author and star of the History Channel’s long-running show Ancient Aliens, takes us to the mysterious ruins in the mountains of Peru and Bolivia in search of ancient technology and the secrets of megalith building. In his new book, packed with photos and diagrams, Childress examines the amazing stonecutting at Puma Punku, a site neighboring the ancient ruins of Tiwanaku near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. He looks at whether the so-called “Inca walls”-found in Cuzco and at other sites such as Sacsayhuaman, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu-were really made by the Incas. The evidence seems to support the idea that they were actually constructed by a far older culture. Childress examines the megalithic construction and underground chambers of Chavin in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru, possibly the oldest megalithic site in South America. He also speculates on the existence of a sunken city in Lake Titicaca and reveals new evidence that the Sumerians may have arrived in South America over 4,000 years ago. Childress demonstrates that the use of “keystone cuts” with metal clamps poured into them to secure megalithic construction was an advanced technology used all over the world, from the Andes to Egypt, Greece and Southeast Asia. He maintains that only power tools could have made the intricate articulation and drill holes found in extremely hard granite and basalt blocks in Bolivia and Peru, and that the megalith builders had to have had advanced methods for moving and stacking gigantic blocks of stone, some weighing over 100 tons. The incredible high-tech world of South America is illuminated in the informative and breezy style for which Childress has always been known. Chapters in the book include: The Lost World of South America; The Enigma of Ancient Technology; Ancient Technology at Tiwanaku and Puma Punku; The Sumerian Mining Complex at Tiwanaku; Mysteries of Lake Titicaca and the Towers; Ancient Technology in Cuzco; The Megaliths of Ollantaytambo; Did the Incas Build Machu Picchu?; and more!


Ancient Maya Technology

Ancient Maya Technology

Author: Charles Hofer

Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc

Published: 2016-07-16

Total Pages: 34

ISBN-13: 1508149046

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At their peak, the ancient Maya lived in one of the most advanced civilizations in the world. Their calendar system, celestial observations, and architecture give us clues to the greatness of their technology. This book introduces readers to the many unique technological devices and breakthroughs created by the ancient Maya. Readers will learn about the historical context of Maya technology through primary sources, such as artifacts and architectural ruins, and accessible, fact-filled text. Photographs of what the Maya left behind will give readers an in-depth look into the amazing creations of this ancient civilization.