The sinews of war: ancient catapults

Although they were probably already used in ancient Mesopotamia, catapults became increasingly common in the Mediterranean area from the 4th century B.C. Their design was improved over time through a combination of trial-and-error and geometrical procedures. By the 1st century A.D., it was possible to compile accurate tables of specifications for catapults of different size, and to build engines capable of hurling heavy projectiles at a distance of more than a hundred meters. In her essay, Cuomo asks who the men behind these machines were. What motivated the ancient military engineers, and how did they relate to their artifacts? And who did they work for? The author shows that ancient catapults provide unique insights into the interface of science and war, theory and practice, politics and knowledge

Technology and culture in Greek and Roman antiquity

The technological achievements of the Greeks and Romans continue to fascinate and excite admiration. But what was the place of technology in their cultures? Through five case-studies, this book sets ancient technical knowledge in its political, social and intellectual context. It explores the definition of the techne of medicine in classical Athens, the development of new military technology in Hellenistic times, the self-image of technicians through funerary art in the early Roman Empire, the resolution of boundary disputes in the early second century AD, and the status of architecture and architects in late antiquity. Deploying a wide range of evidence, it reconstructs a dialectic picture of ancient technology, where several ancient points of view are described and analyzed, and their interaction examined. Dr Cuomo argues for the centrality of technology to the ancient world-picture, and for its extraordinarily rich political, social, economic and religious significance. • Offers five in-depth, varied case-studies, each with a slightly different methodological focus • Covers a broad period from classical Athens to late antiquity and a wide range of disciplines • Only book of its kind to make extensive use of non-textual material and of the newest historiographical approaches from both classics and the history of science and technology Contents Introduction; 1. The definition of techne in classical Athens; 2. The Hellenistic military revolution; 3. Death and the craftsman; 4. Boundary disputes in the Roman Empire; 5. Architects of late antiquity; Epilogue

A case-study in Roman mathematics: the description of the analemma in Vitruvius' De architectura, book IX

Book synopsis: Ancient cultures have left written evidence of a variety of scientific texts. But how can/should they be translated? Is it possible to use modern concepts (and terminology) in their translation and which consequences result from this practice? Scholars of various disciplines discuss the practice of translating ancient scientific texts and present examples of these texts and their translations

Divide and rule: Frontinus and Roman land-surveying

This paper aims to cast new light on one of our main sources for ancient science, Sextus Julius Frontinus; to cast new light on the science of the Graeco-Roman period; and to contribute ancient materials to present discussions on the relations between power and knowledge, and/or science and empire

A Roman engineer's tales

This article is an exercise in the historiography of ancient technical artefacts, beginning from the examination of a second-century a.d. cippus inscribed with the story of a Roman engineer, Nonius Datus, who designed and supervised the construction of an aqueduct in Algeria. The first section looks at the aqueduct from the point of view of the history of engineering. The second traces the history of the inscription as a document in the debate about imperialism and technology. In the third section, the focus is on what Datus himself was trying to communicate. The conclusion makes a case for considering ancient technical artefacts from multiple perspectives

Mathematical traditions in Greece and Rome

There were different ways of doing mathematics in the ancient Greek and Roman world. This essay will explore historiographical approaches to this diversity, from the claim that there were different traditions, to explorations of the social status of mathematicians, to attempts to go beyond written traditions in order to reconstruct practices. I will draw on Jean Lave’s studies on situation-specific mathematics to try and tease out the power relationships and underlying assumptions behind different histories of the evidence available to us

Exploring Ancient Greek and Roman Numeracy

Numeracy is everywhere these days. Every week my son’s school gives us a newsletter insisting that we should practice his numeracy skills whenever we get the chance: he should count ducks at the park and do sums with his food. In the name of early years numeracy, you can now buy soft toys shaped like this [Numberjack 5 – ‘he likes lots of cuddles’]. The present government seems as worried as the last one about adult innumeracy rates, which are commonly quoted in the media as a terrifying 20%. Yes: I have not seen the data myself, but apparently one in five adults in the UK today is innumerate. I don’t know what criteria have been used for assessment, but what I do know is that experts are paid to produce ‘maps’ like this to explain the phenomenon [map of the influence on functional numeracy,from the official website of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills]