04-15-2009, 03:47 PM
That's a great idea, Jona. Chapeau!
* Ancient ships were rowed by slaves
Not regularly, but in extreme cases they were.
* The Phoenicians invented the alphabet
Please define alphabet. In the narrow sense (alpha, beta, ...) it was a Greek invention, and they were also the first to represent the vowels with symbols, which is the true alphabet. I know you are referring to the early 'alphabetic' finds in Sinai and proper Egypt of Semitic mercenaries and guest workers, but I am not sure how to call this.
* There were camels in the ancient Near East
Weren't there? I am constantly confusing dromedars and camels, but Forbes has a chapter on those two in his History of Technology, according to which one of them (or both) were introduced to North Africa in Roman times - from the Near East.
Further suggestions from the history of technology:
*Ancient civilization failed to develop because of its extensice use of slave labour.
Still, no one can explain why the greatest technological and scientific advances were made when slave labour was presumably at its peak (3rd c. BC-2nd c. AD). Also, in late antiquity, when slavery went into a decline due to the rise of christianity, this development by no means resulted in unleashing of productive forces.
*The Greeks did not put their scientific knowledge to practical use, they were just content knowing something.
*The Romans suffered from lead poisoning through their lead pipes.
All-time classic disproved by a heap of literature.
*The Roman harness was inefficient as it strangled the horses.
1930s myth of LeFebvre.
*The Romans employed built only semi-circular arch bridges and knew no segmental arch bridges.
*The Greeks and Romans knew water mills, but did not employ it.
Already sounds like nonsense, but a fashionably view until at least the 1970s-1980s.
*The Greeks and Romans knew no machinery which converted rotary motion into linear one (such as trip-hammers).
*The Greeks and Romans knew no crank.
In the JRA there was recently a thrilling report on a new find of a 3rd century water-powered saw mill which even employed a crank with a connecting rod.
* Ancient ships were rowed by slaves
Not regularly, but in extreme cases they were.
* The Phoenicians invented the alphabet
Please define alphabet. In the narrow sense (alpha, beta, ...) it was a Greek invention, and they were also the first to represent the vowels with symbols, which is the true alphabet. I know you are referring to the early 'alphabetic' finds in Sinai and proper Egypt of Semitic mercenaries and guest workers, but I am not sure how to call this.
* There were camels in the ancient Near East
Weren't there? I am constantly confusing dromedars and camels, but Forbes has a chapter on those two in his History of Technology, according to which one of them (or both) were introduced to North Africa in Roman times - from the Near East.
Further suggestions from the history of technology:
*Ancient civilization failed to develop because of its extensice use of slave labour.
Still, no one can explain why the greatest technological and scientific advances were made when slave labour was presumably at its peak (3rd c. BC-2nd c. AD). Also, in late antiquity, when slavery went into a decline due to the rise of christianity, this development by no means resulted in unleashing of productive forces.
*The Greeks did not put their scientific knowledge to practical use, they were just content knowing something.
*The Romans suffered from lead poisoning through their lead pipes.
All-time classic disproved by a heap of literature.
*The Roman harness was inefficient as it strangled the horses.
1930s myth of LeFebvre.
*The Romans employed built only semi-circular arch bridges and knew no segmental arch bridges.
*The Greeks and Romans knew water mills, but did not employ it.
Already sounds like nonsense, but a fashionably view until at least the 1970s-1980s.
*The Greeks and Romans knew no machinery which converted rotary motion into linear one (such as trip-hammers).
*The Greeks and Romans knew no crank.
In the JRA there was recently a thrilling report on a new find of a 3rd century water-powered saw mill which even employed a crank with a connecting rod.
Stefan (Literary references to the discussed topics are always appreciated.)
