In this volume the authors translate and annotate passages from ancient authors with the aim of providing a history and analysis of the origins and development of technology. Among the topics covered are: energy, basic mechanical devices, agriculture, food processing and diet, mining and metallurgy, construction and hydraulic engineering, household industry, transport, trade and military technology. Designed as a sourcebook, it presents 150 ancient authors and a range of literary genres such as the encyclopedic "Natural Histories" of Pliny the Elder, the poetry of Homer and Hesiod, the philosophy of Plato, Aristotle and Lucretius and the agricultural treatise of Varro. The work includes glossaries of technological terminology, indices of authors and subjects, introductions outlining the general significance of the evidence and notes to explain specific details.

Author Biography

John W. Humphrey is Head of Department of Greek, Latin and Ancient History at the University of Calgary, Canada. John P. Oleson is Professor and Chair of Greek and Roman Studies at the University of Victoria, Canada. Andrew N. Sherwood is Assistant Professor at Concordia University and lecturer at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.