Ancient Engineers& Inventions

Abstract

The study of the History of Engineering is valuable for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it can help us to understand the genius of the scientists, engineers and craftsmen who existed centuries and millenniums before us; who solved problems using the devices of their era, making machinery and equipment whose concept is of such a surprising modernity that we must rethink our image of the past. But there is an even more important reason to study the History of Engineering: the authors believe that it is impossible to have a true technical culture if the ideas and the work of those who came before us are ignored. Culture, in whatever field, consists in understanding and not simply in know-how. For this reason it is essential to learn how a certain phenomenon was understood and how the application of that knowledge evolved through the centuries. For the same reason it is important that the scientists of our generation transmit an interest in and taste for the accomplishments of ancient engineers. Young engineers should be familiar with the knowledge of the past if they are to under- stand the present and perceive the future. Moreover, engineering must be considered that discipline that tries to give to man the possibility to outperform his body’s limits.