Page 7 - BBC History The Story of Science & Technology - 2017 UK

An illustration
2nd century BC of Roman engineer-
Dramatically retrieved in ing feats from
a 16th-century
the early 20th century from
edition of Vitruvius’s
an ancient shipwreck, De Architectura
the Greek Antikythera
mechanism is a complex
geared computer used for
astronomical predictions.
Although its operation is not
fully understood, this unique
discovery demonstrates 2nd
technological expertise
previously unknown before century AD
the 14th century. Writing in Greek,
Claudius Ptolemy
The world’s oldest ‘computer’,
discovered by sponge divers of Alexandria produces
in the Aegean in 1900 his Almagest, a
mathematical and
astronomical treatise
describing an Earth-
centred universe. It is
1st century BC extremely influential
throughout the Islamic
In his celebrated books on architecture, empire and Renaissance
ancient Rome’s most famous engineer, Europe. By introducing
Vitruvius, describes many different convoluted orbits called
technological installations, including epicycles, Ptolemy tries
cranes, aqueducts, catapults, water to explain why some
clocks and central heating systems. He planets appear to travel
also discusses Archimedes’ giant screws, backwards intermittently.
used in farming and mining to raise water
from one level to another.
400 BC 1 AD

4th century BC 1st century AD
In his History of Animals, Aristotle Pliny writes his Natural History, a compre-
– one of ancient Greece’s most hensive encyclopedia of Roman knowledge.
influential philosophers – Divided into 37 books, it encompasses an
describes in detail the enormous range of subjects. One of the first
anatomy and behaviour of ancient books to be printed in the Renaissance,
several hundred crea- its wide range made it the standard work of
tures. Two thousand years reference for many centuries.
later, naturalists still followed
a Christianised version of
his chain of nature,
a fixed hierarchical
ladder stretching up
from the lowliest
organisms through
birds, animals
and humans
towards angels
and God.

Aristotle’s
plan of over
500 living beings Pliny’s work aimed to collect together all ancient
was based on knowledge of geology, zoology, astronomy and art
detailed zoological
GETTY/BRIDGEMAN
research

The Story of Science & Technology 7