4 ms·
In the case of the Antikythera mechanism, it turns out the knowledge and technology weren't entirely lost. There's a fairly well-established throughline now fro
by sho_hn 6y ago
In the case of the Antikythera mechanism, it turns out the knowledge and technology weren't entirely lost. There's a fairly well-established throughline now from Babylonian observation-based astronomical tables to Greek philosophical views and mathematics (and craftmanship) to Arabic astrolabes (retaining some of the gear-train tech) and then back to Europe, to the monastic astronomical clocks. Then the escapement was invented and added in, and boom you got modern industrial technology.
There are a lot of loss and bottlenecks along that journey, though. And many notable locations, installations and individuals. The history of instrument-making and how it is intertwined with philosophical and religious views on the skies and the topology of the universe is quite fascinating (e.g. the motivations for observing the sky, being able to produce predictions at all, crafting models, etc).
- jcrubino 6y agoThe Roman were truly a successful agrarian civilization, but became lackluster in progress from there. They never made an overwhelming shift to mathematical / science based civilization. They took over Syracuse with a mandate to keep Archimedes alive, but that failed. Some scholars say the only roman contribution to math was numerals. Basically they reaped the profits of empire, and fell into the cargo cults of opulent success, abandoning the prior agricultural based common sense by never integrating new ideas in the Aristotelian domains except for to pay homage to the originating culture enough to collect taxes.
- dragonelite 6y agoYou mean slave labor society right, if you can't expand the empire fast enough, you "human capital" stream dries up, its like taking on too much debt and not being able to keep up with paying.
- jcrubino 6y agoI meant The Romans, started out as an agrarian culture where Ceasars were more interested in tending the farm than politics that evolved into the spectacle that Rome is now known for. Not ready to drop a book on HN regarding the nuance of Roman evolution just yet.
- NoImmatureAdHom 6y agoEverybody slaved. The Romans were just better at it (and most other things).
- deek 6y agoThey dabbled in engineering as well
- jcrubino 6y agoBut killed Calculus with Archimedes.
- marksbrown 6y agoOther numeral systems existed before the Roman. Etruscan for instance.
- posterboy 6y ago> The history of instrument-making and how it is intertwined with philosophical and religious views on the skies and the topology of the universe is quite fascinating (e.g. the motivations for observing the sky ... While this is in part to be attributed to superstition and religion, this in turn was of material importance to navigation, aggriculture, and perhaps philosophy. Indeed, it is curious how those interrelated. For one, nomads would need to know when it was time to move on, and where to.