
Ancient Technology
John W. Humphrey(Author)
Greenwood Press
Published on 30. September 2006
Book
Hardback
248 pages
978-0-313-32763-6 (ISBN)
Description
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
Roman historian and archaeologist Humphrey surveys both physical and ideological/linguistic inventions of the ancient Mediterranean societies in this volume. Illustrations accompany text explaining the context and use of technologies in the categories of food and clothing, water, shelter and security, transportation and coinage, recordkeeping and timekeeping, and crafts that developed between the Archaic era in Greece and the height of the Roman Empire. Additionally, one section provides brief biographies of known inventors of the time, and another contains 54 topical primary documents, including instructions for constructing a plow and building a Roman aqueduct. * SciTech Book News//Art Book News Annual 2007 *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Interest Age: From 7 to 17 years
Illustrations
31 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
540 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-313-32763-6 (9780313327636)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

John W. Humphrey
Ancient Technology
E-Book
09/2006
1st Edition
Greenwood Press
€93.99
Available for download
Person
JOHN W. HUMPHREY is a Roman historian and archaeologist at the University of Calgary. He is co-author of Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook (1998), a volume of translated and annotated ancient texts that describe the technical history of the Greeks and Romans. He has excavated at four sites in Greece and Turkey, and has traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean, studying and photographing contemporary examples of ancient technologies.
Content
Foreword by Bella Vivante
Preface
Historical and Technological Overview
Food and Clothing
Water
Shelter and Security
Transportation and Coinage
Recordkeeping and Timekeeping
Crafts
Conclusions
Biographies
Glossary
Bibliography
Preface
Historical and Technological Overview
Food and Clothing
Water
Shelter and Security
Transportation and Coinage
Recordkeeping and Timekeeping
Crafts
Conclusions
Biographies
Glossary
Bibliography