04-08-2010, 11:04 PM
Yes, that's true. Classical technological studies were for decades suffering from a great pincer movement lead by medievalists like Lynn White and sinologists like Joseph Needham, both great, but thoroughly biased scholars. But these people have long shot their bolts ( :mrgreen: ) and I like the calm and circumspect approach of the post-1980 generation of historians of ancient technology very much.
Their arguments are much more convincing than these 1950s-70s diffusionist battle cries of "<insert your favourite technological culture> has utterly superseded and anticipated the technological acheivements of <insert your least favourite technological culture> and this latter culture can call itself happy to have adopted the ground-breaking innovations of the former one, although they did so only partially and with much less sophistication."
I mean how childish was that by White and Needham? And the sad thing is both still wrote such stuff with utter conviction when they were in their 60s, 70s and even 80s - as if their age has no bearing whatsoever on their wisdom!
On the Hierapolis mill: Grewe, Klaus (2009), "Die Reliefdarstellung einer antiken Steinsägemaschine aus Hierapolis in Phrygien und ihre Bedeutung für die Technikgeschichte. Internationale Konferenz 13.?16. Juni 2007 in Istanbul", in Bachmann, Martin, Bautechnik im antiken und vorantiken Kleinasien., Byzas, 9, Istanbul: Ege Yay?nlar?/Zero Prod. Ltd., pp. 429–454, ISBN 978-975-807-223-1 (PDF, German)
Their arguments are much more convincing than these 1950s-70s diffusionist battle cries of "<insert your favourite technological culture> has utterly superseded and anticipated the technological acheivements of <insert your least favourite technological culture> and this latter culture can call itself happy to have adopted the ground-breaking innovations of the former one, although they did so only partially and with much less sophistication."
I mean how childish was that by White and Needham? And the sad thing is both still wrote such stuff with utter conviction when they were in their 60s, 70s and even 80s - as if their age has no bearing whatsoever on their wisdom!
On the Hierapolis mill: Grewe, Klaus (2009), "Die Reliefdarstellung einer antiken Steinsägemaschine aus Hierapolis in Phrygien und ihre Bedeutung für die Technikgeschichte. Internationale Konferenz 13.?16. Juni 2007 in Istanbul", in Bachmann, Martin, Bautechnik im antiken und vorantiken Kleinasien., Byzas, 9, Istanbul: Ege Yay?nlar?/Zero Prod. Ltd., pp. 429–454, ISBN 978-975-807-223-1 (PDF, German)
Stefan (Literary references to the discussed topics are always appreciated.)
