Greek and Roman Technology

by K.D. White

Enjoy the discoveries of the Greeks and the engineering projects of the Romans that led to technological advances far reaching for their times

Genres: History, History Of Science

272 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1984

Reviews

[Abby Epplett · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my birthday, I received the book Greek and Roman Technology by K.D. White, published in 1984 by Thames & Hudson with Cornell University Press. While the author claimed this book was “no more than a survey, and a starting-off point” (173), his work was by far the most extensive information I have found on the subject. The book was divided into two parts. In Part I, White outlined the technologies available in Ancient Greece and Rome while explaining the environment in which these were developed. In Part II, White divided technologies into categories and explains each category in detail. At the back of the book were extensive information on White’s sources, several appendices, tables, a bibliography, endnotes, and an index.
For anyone deeply interested in technology of the Classical world, this is a comprehensive read. Diagrams, photographs, and illustrations appear on nearly every page spread, allowing the reader to see exactly what the archaeologists saw. I was impressed by the amount of thoughtful research across a wide range of disciplines. My one complaint was that the writing style of the book was inconsistent. Some passages were engaging, even humorous, while others gave such minute detail that only a handful of experts would find them interesting. This would be an appropriate textbook for an upper level undergraduate class cross-listed as Classics, Engineering, and History.

Read my full review on my blog, "Abby Epplett, Historian":
https://abbyeppletthistorian.blogspot...