Engineering in the Ancient World, Revised Edition

Rating:
Summary: A fantastic effort
Review: A very enlightening volume, although it occasionally left me behind and parts will have to be reread when I have looked up some mechanical engineering concepts- but this did not happen often enough to interrupt my enjoyment. A particularly fascinating section briefly discusses why the Greeks didn't quite get to concept of a the steam engine.

Very worthwhile and, sadly, all too brief.

Rating:
Summary: Ancient History and Engineering Come Together
Review: Mr. Landels brings together two of the world's oldest academic endeavors, history and engineering. This is short volume is a quick read yet serves as a valuable reference tool. Landels provides a wonderful historic background for each piece of technology discussed in the book. The breadth of actual technolgy is not as great as one would want (unfortunately limited to ships, lifting devises, some seige engines and water procurement machines... yet to the author's credit the actual knowledge on complex technology of the ancient world is limited) but the technology that is covered is both well explained with many diagrams and placed into a historic perspective. To this reader, the last chapter serves as an invaluable reference for the simple fact the author provides short biographies of four ancient writers; Hero, Pliny the Elder, Frontinus and Virtuvius which leaves one starving for more knowlegde of aforementioned subjects. If you have any interest in the classics, history of the ancient world or the development of technology,.... please add this to your library.