| Description |
212 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Series |
Key themes in ancient history |
|
Key themes in ancient history.
|
| Contents |
The definition of techne in classical Athens -- 1.a Classifying techne -- 1.b Techne and luck -- 1.c Techne and teachability -- 1.d The trouble with techne -- 1.e Conclusion -- The Hellenistic military revolution -- 2.a The technical revolution invention -- 2.b The technical revolution development -- 2.c The military revolution knowledge -- 2.d The military revolution ethics -- 2.e Conclusion -- Death and the craftsman -- 3.a preliminary questions -- 3.b The iconography of the carpenter's square -- 3.d The meanings of the carpenter's square -- 3.e Conclusion -- Boundary disputes in the Roman Empire -- 4.a The non-technical viewpoint -- 4.b The surveyors -- 4.c The inscriptions -- 4.d Clues -- 4.e Conclusion -- Architects of late antiquity -- 5.a Who were the late ancient architects? -- 5.b Did the status of architects change in late antiquity? -- 5.c The spiritualization of architecture -- 5.d Conclusion -- Epilogue |
| Summary |
"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. It deploys a wide range of sources, from technical treatises to philosophical texts and the works of historians and playwrights, as well as epigraphical and archaeological evidence, to reconstruct a dialectic picture of ancient technology, where several ancient points of view are described and analysed, 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."--BOOK JACKET |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references |
| Subject |
Technology -- Greece -- History -- To 1500.
|
|
Technology -- Rome -- History.
|
|
Technology and civilization -- History -- To 1500.
|
| LC no. |
2007008985 |
| ISBN |
9780521810739 hardcover |
|
9780521009034 paperback |
|
