We tend to think that inventions belong to our modern world, but deep down, we know that is not true. The wheel was one of the oldest inventions – somebody had to come up with the idea!
The main problem may simply be that many inventions were not documented, and, if they were, the documents did not survive. They certainly were not patented.
This being said, a special case is to be made for Hero of Alexandria (c. 10 – 70 AD), who was a mathematician and an engineer.
For Hero, this was only one of his inventions that he considered a toy or gimmick – a piece of conversation, who knows!
Imagine what would have happened to our world if Hero or any of his contemporary inventors had sought a way to turn the Aeolipile into something useful. The industrial revolution started in the 18th century when James Watt presented his steam engine.
We lost 2000 precious years of evolution! Are there more examples of such lost chances?
Well,Hero was more a popularizer that a scientist. He take the scientific works of III and II century BC and gets his devices.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that in III century BC in Alexandria,Syracuse,Rodhes,Anthiochia we would have found surprising experimental devices more,more,more sophisticated of the Hero's "toys".
For exemple the "architronito",a steam cannon that Leonardo Da Vinci said built by Archimedes of Syracuse ( Leonardo had access to now lost hellenistics works...who said if his "bycicle" really ran in the gardens of Alexandria museum at the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus or Soter....see the fundamental "The Forgotten Revolution" of Professor Lucio Russo).
"The industrial revolution started in the 18th century when James Watt presented his steam engine"....yes but you imagine that in 18th century a population brutal,predatory,stuffy and behindhand,almost primitive but militarily very strong, had jumped on the civilization of James Watt and his colleagues,killing,destroyng,looting,burning and taking slaves the peoples.
ReplyDeleteWell,that is exactly what happened from the late III and the mid II century BC. https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Revolution-Science-Born-Reborn/dp/3540203966
Thank you for your precious comments, which I highly appreciate, as usual!
DeleteYou may well be right assuming that cities like Alexandria, Syracuse, Rhodes, Antioch produced their share of inventors (as well as philosophers, geographers, mathematicians, etc), even before Hero. As I wrote in the above post “many inventions were not documented, and, if they were, the documents did not survive”.
I’m convinced that we have only a very partial knowledge of what men like Plato or Archimedes really knew. Who is borrowing from whom?
Having “Leonardo’s” bicycle crisscrossing the gardens of Alexandria’s Museum is quite fascinating! What if the Museum had been kept alive and going by the Romans! Nice dream, but sooner or later it was doomed to collapse. Nothing is forever.
History comes to us piecemeal and I always struggle to define exactly what Alexander knew or didn’t when he set out to Asia.
Thank you for your book referral. The Forgotten Revolution by Professor Lucio Russo sounds like a very interesting reading!
A essential reading (in Italy is came to the third revisioned edition in 30 years). Is the guide for understand what was hellenism,what was the true legacy of Alexander,and what the mankind has lost.
DeleteI gladly believe you! It is quite expensive too. Waiting for Santa Claus to put it in my sock ;-)
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