Research theme on ancient science and technology
Professor Isabel Ruffell and I have been teaching an Honours and Postgraduate course called Ancient Technology in Context ever since I arrived at Glasgow, back in the autumn of 2016. Last semester, we taught the fifth (!) iteration of it, and for the final session before the Christmas break, I thought I would try something… Continue reading →
As part of the project on Hero of Alexandria and his Theatrical Automata, I’ve been looking at the history of automata in Greek and Roman antiquity. As well as Hero’s treatise, there are occasional brief references to devices that may (or perhaps may not be) automata. The evidence is tantalising and gives hints about how… Continue reading →
Since October 2014, I’ve been working with a team to investigate Hero (Heron) of Alexandria’s treatise On Making Automata (peri automatopoiētikēs). It’s not a very well known or well studied text, but it’s our best detailed evidence for a recognisable sub-field within ancient mechanics and engineering. The devices that Hero describes are powered mainly by… Continue reading →
