- Hardcover: 704 pages
- Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd (11 Nov 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1854797778
- ISBN-13: 978-1854797773
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 18.8 x 4.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 587,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Many inventions which seem relatively recent in fact date back thousands of years. This encyclopaedia focuses on the applied science of the Ancient World. Those ancient inventions with a modern sound include: plastic surgery performed in India in the 1st century BC; an early form of the computer used by the ancient Greeks; the postal service of Ancient Baghdad; calendars used in France as early as 13,000 BC; steam engines in Ancient Greece; and Aztec chewing gum.
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First Sentence
From its remotest beginnings the human race has showed compassion for its fellows. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
From its remotest beginnings the human race has showed compassion for its fellows. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oustanding - A great read and gift,
By A Customer
This review is from: Ancient Inventions (Paperback)
Excellent book. Accessable style, poses loads of questions about how modern society views itself as the "top of the tree" civilization and whether this is justified or not. Garuanteed new respect for our ancestors after reading the first chapter. It has a wealth of information with endless possibilities for further reading. Some postulations may be a bit on the generous side but overall I finished this book staggered about how much knowledge we have lost over the millennia. Especially as we are constantly patting ourselves on the back for gaining knowledge. There is nothing new under the sun. The only downside is you will irritate the hell out of anyone you live with as you won't be able to resist reading out loud excerpts! One of the best value books I have bought for a very long time.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Encyclopedia of Ancient Ingenuity,
By
This review is from: Ancient Inventions (Paperback)
The idea that the first books on robotics were written by the Ancient Greeks, or that electric batteries were first used in ancient Mesopotamia might sound like the sort of nonsense concocted by pseudo-archaeologists like Erich Von Daniken. Yet Peter James and Nick Thorpe shows us that these inventions were very real, and that our ancient ancestors were a lot cleverer than we originally supposed.
From the days of the Neanderthals in 60,000 BC up until Columbus's discovery of the New World in 1492, we are taken on a tour of some the brilliant inventions and ideas of the past. Did you know that Neanderthals could perform a basic type of brain surgery called trepanation? Or that the first calenders were made by Paleolithic people around 20,000 years ago? If not, then this book will be a real eye opener. The authors cover a mass of subjects, ranging from medicine; transportation; food, drink and drugs; Sport and leisure; military technology; sex life; urban life; communications; personal effects; agriculture and mining; and finally high tech gadgets. Using a wealth of sources and a diverse team of experts (including astronomers, architects, engineers, musicians, geologists and linguists), the authors show and explain how these technologies and items worked. It is a testament to the achievements of our predecessors that the book doesn't cover all of their inventions. For instance the medieval inventor Al-Jaziri's hydraulic and mechanical devices aren't mentioned, even though some of them rivalled 20th century engineering in their ingenuity. The book also fails to mention his invention of the torpedo. It is also a shame that the book does not mention the philosophical ideas of the ancients, as many scholars such as Democritus of Abdera hypothesised the existence of atoms. That aside, this is the definitive guide to ancient ideas and technology available today. The book is well illustrated with hundreds of black and white photos and drawings, while the text is readable and packed full of fascinating facts. If you've ever wondered who invented spectacles, why we live with cats and dogs, when we started living in houses, or where chocolate was created, then this book will answer your questions.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How the ancient is really the new modern.,
By
This review is from: Ancient Inventions (Paperback)
I found this a deeply satisfying book. I was amazed at just how many inventions we assume as being relatively modern but were in existence thousands of years back - even batteries! It makes you wonder just how much the human race has really progressed over the millenia - when so many great ideas have been destroyed or lost simultaneously.
It's a book i like to come back to every now and again after the first read to refresh my memory. You will become a more interesting person after reading this book as it will open up a greater awareness of the true achievements mankind /the individual has been capable of - and hopefully will continue to be.
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