Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T07:58:58.929Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

6 - Technology

from Part I - Determinants of Economic Performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

By
Helmuth Schneider
Edited by
Walter Scheidel ,
Ian Morris  and
Richard P. Saller
Helmuth Schneider
Affiliation:
University of Kassel
Walter Scheidel
Affiliation:
Stanford University, California
Ian Morris
Affiliation:
Stanford University, California
Richard P. Saller
Affiliation:
Stanford University, California
Get access

Summary

ancient technology in modern historiography

Ancient technology has been a subject of controversial scholarly debate since the beginning of the twentieth century. So far, a consensus has proved unattainable, whether about the issues and topics of a modern history of ancient technology, about the criteria of evaluation of technological developments in pre-industrial societies, or about the actual spread of technological innovations. In such circumstances, this chapter must begin by taking up a position in relation to the views expressed in earlier research, and at the same time offering some methodological justification for my own view.

Almost all work on the history of technology published before 1984 espoused the opinion that technological development in antiquity never implemented advances that were actually quite possible; that ancient technology had, on the whole, been characterized by stagnation; and that it had only few inventions to show which could be compared in importance to the accomplishments of the ancient civilizations in such areas as literature, art, philosophy, mathematics or medicine. It was further held that those few technological innovations which are documented had scarcely been put to economic use, and had therefore only had scant influence on work, production, and productivity. Various reasons were given for the perceived primitive and backward nature of ancient technology, such as a reverence for nature that was rooted in religion, the preponderance of thought structures shaped by rhetoric and therefore unsuitable for the understanding of technical facts, or the elitist self-perception of ancient scholars who had had no interest in making practical use of their scientific knowledge.

Keywords

economic developmentGreek civilizationancient technologyagricultural technologyRoman technologytechnical knowledgetechnological progress
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World , pp. 144 - 172
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adam, J.-P. (1984) La construction romaine. Matériaux et techniques. Paris.
Amouretti, M.-C. (1986) Le pain et l’huile dans la Grèce antique. De lapos;araire au moulin. Centre de Recherche d’Histoire Ancienne vol. 67/ ALUB 328. Paris.
Amouretti, M.-C. (1991) “L’attelage dans l’antiquité. Le prestige d’une erreur scientifique,” Annales ESC 46.Google Scholar
Bémont, C. and Jacob, J.-P., eds. (1986) La terre sigillée gallo-romaine. Lieux de production du Haute Empire: implantations, produits, relations. Paris.
Brun, J.-P. (1986) L’oléiculture antique en Provence. Les huileries du département du Var. Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise Suppl. 15. Paris.
Casson, L. (1971) Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World. Princeton.
Diels, H. (1920) Antike Technik. Leipzig.
Domergue, C. (1990) Les mines de la péninsule ibérique dans l’antiquité romaine. Paris and Rome.
Drachmann, A. G. (1932) Ancient Oil Mills and Presses. Copenhagen.
Drachmann, A. G. (1963) The Mechanical Technology of Greek and Roman Antiquity. Copenhagen.
Finley, M. I. (1965b) “Technical innovation and economic progress in the ancient world,” Economic History Review 18.Google Scholar
Gille, B. ed. (1978) Histoire des Techniques. Technique et civilisations. Technique et sciences. Paris.
Gille, B. ed. (1980) Les mécaniciens grecs. La naissance de la technologie. Paris.
Greene, K. (1990) “Perspectives on Roman technology,” Oxford Journal of Archaeology 9.Google Scholar
Greene, K. (2000) “Technological innovation and economic progress in the ancient world: M. I. Finley re-considered,” Economic History Review 53.Google Scholar
Halleux, R. (1977) “Problèmes de l’énergie dans le monde ancien,” LEC 45.Google Scholar
Harris, E. M. (2002) “Workshop, marketplace, and household: the nature of technical specialization in classical Athens and its influence on economy and society,” in Cartledge, et al., eds. (2002).
Healy, J. F. (1978) Mining and Metallurgy in the Greek and Roman World. London.
Hodge, A. T. (1992) Roman Aqueducts and Water Supply. London.
Isager, S. and Skydsgaard, J. E. (1992) Ancient Greek Agriculture. London.
Kiechle, F. (1969) Sklavenarbeit und technischer Fortschritt im römischen Reich. Wiesbaden.
Lämmli, F. (1968) Homo Faber: Triumph, Schuld, Verhängnis? Basel.
Landels, J. G. (1978) Engineering in the Ancient World. London.
Leveau, P. (1996) “The Barbegal water mill in its environment: archaeology and the economic history of antiquity,” JRA 9.Google Scholar
Lombroso-Ferrero, G. (1920) “Pourquoi le machinisme ne fut pas adopté dans l’antiquité?” Revue du Mois 21.Google Scholar
Manning, W. H. (1987) “Industrial growth,” in Wacher, , ed. (1987).
Mar´oti, E. (1975) “Über die Verbreitung der Wassermühlen in Europa,” Acta Antiqua 23.Google Scholar
Marichal, R. (1988) Les graffites de la Graufesenque. XLVIIe supplément à “Gallia”. Paris.
Meissner, B. (1999) Die technologische Fachliteratur der Antike. Struktur, Überlieferung und Wirkung technischen Wissens in der Antike (ca. 400 v. Chr. - ca. 500 n. Chr.). Berlin.
Moritz, L. A. (1958) Grain Mills and Flour in Classical Antiquity. Oxford.
Newby, M. and Painter, K., eds. (1991) Roman Glass: Two Centuries of Art and Invention. London.
Noble, J. V. (1988) The Techniques of Painted Attic Pottery. London.
O’Connor, C. (1993) Roman Bridges. Cambridge.
Oleson, J. P. (1984) Greek and Roman Mechanical Water-Lifting Devices: The History of a Technology. Toronto.
Peacock, D. P. S. (1982) Pottery in the Roman World: An Ethnoarchaeological Approach. London and New York.
Persson, K. G. (1988) Pre-Industrial Economic Growth: Social Organization and Technological Progress in Europe. Oxford.
Raepsaet, G. (2002) Attelages et techniques de transport dans le monde gréco-romain. Brussels.
Reece, D. W. (1969) “The technological weakness of the ancient world,” G&R 16.Google Scholar
Rossiter, J. J. (1981) “Wine and oil processing at Roman farms in Italy,” Phoenix 35.Google Scholar
Saller, R. (2002=2005) “Framing the debate over growth in the ancient economy,” in Scheidel, and Reden, , eds. (2002), and in Manning, and Morris, , eds. (2005).
Schneider, H. (1992) Einführung in die antike Technikgeschichte. Darmstadt.
Strong, D. and Brown, D. eds. (1976) Roman Crafts. London.
Treggiari, S. (1980) “Urban labour in Rome: mercennarii and tabernarii,” in Garnsey, P., ed., Non-Slave Labour in the Greco-Roman World.Cambridge.Google Scholar
Vernant, J.-P. (1985a) “Hestia-Hermes. Sur l’expression religieuse de l’espace et du mouvement chez les Grecs in Vernant, J.-P., Mythe et penseé chez les Grecs: études de psychologie historique, 2nd edn. Paris.Google Scholar
White, K. D. (1970b) Roman Farming. London.
White, K. D. (1984) Greek and Roman Technology. London.
Wikander, Ö. (1981) “The use of water-power in classical antiquity,” Opuscula Romana 13.Google Scholar
Wikander, Ö. (1984) Exploitation of Water-Power or Technological Stagnation? A Reappraisal of the Productive Forces in the Roman Empire. Lund.
Wikander, Ö. ed. (2000) Handbook of Ancient Water Technology. Leiden.
Wilson, A. (2002) “Machines, power, and the ancient economy,” JRS 92.Google Scholar
Zimmer, G. (1982) Römische Berufsdarstellungen. Berlin.

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Technology
  • Edited by Walter Scheidel, Stanford University, California, Ian Morris, Stanford University, California, Richard P. Saller, Stanford University, California
  • Book: The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521780537.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Technology
  • Edited by Walter Scheidel, Stanford University, California, Ian Morris, Stanford University, California, Richard P. Saller, Stanford University, California
  • Book: The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521780537.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Technology
  • Edited by Walter Scheidel, Stanford University, California, Ian Morris, Stanford University, California, Richard P. Saller, Stanford University, California
  • Book: The Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World
  • Online publication: 28 March 2008
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CHOL9780521780537.007
Available formats
×