In antiquity, the relationship between political power and technique was one of the main elements that supported society, any chance of progress, as well as any expansionist or hegemonic projects and, sometimes, the very survival of the state. The fields in which this meeting takes place are mainly civil and military constructions and the creation or perfection of war machines. Sources give insufficient cognitive data about the life and activity of the technicians, preferring to highlight the figure of the client rather than the artifex. However, there is no lack of evidence relating to famous architects-engineers and their fruitful relationship with power. The experience of Archimedes, committed to defending Syracuse, seems to be exemplary, although it may provide a distorted representation of historical reality, attributing the invention of new devices to a single isolated genius. However, it is true that technological innovations, even if they did use the creative genius of inventors, were generally the result of multiple collaborations. Therefore, it is worth considering that since the 4th century B.C., there had been an intensification of the cultural exchanges between important centres of antiquity, whit the protagonists being engineers who had a wealth of knowledge and experience to transmit. In this cultural climate ripe and scientific techniques that made possible the invention of a new weapon from the jet, which uses the thrust force generated by the torsion beams of nerve fibers or to throw darts or stones. Our knowledge is based not only on limited archaeological evidence, but also on the writings of Philo of Byzantium, Vitruvius and Hero of Alexandria, which, although with some differences, give a sufficient and unambiguous description of the technical characteristics of the components. The historical fact is that this formidable war machine was feared in the siege of cities, but also in open field and naval battles. Over the following centuries, these weapons underwent significant structural changes to suit the most varied war contexts, with them being widely used by armies, making them the most nomenclature weapon, since its invention, being enriched with new terms. However, it remained in use until the invention of gunpowder and the consequent emergence of new weapons with even greater destructive power.

Il tecnico e il potere nell'antichità. L'importanza delle macchine da getto.

CATALANO, Romilda
2009-01-01

Abstract

In antiquity, the relationship between political power and technique was one of the main elements that supported society, any chance of progress, as well as any expansionist or hegemonic projects and, sometimes, the very survival of the state. The fields in which this meeting takes place are mainly civil and military constructions and the creation or perfection of war machines. Sources give insufficient cognitive data about the life and activity of the technicians, preferring to highlight the figure of the client rather than the artifex. However, there is no lack of evidence relating to famous architects-engineers and their fruitful relationship with power. The experience of Archimedes, committed to defending Syracuse, seems to be exemplary, although it may provide a distorted representation of historical reality, attributing the invention of new devices to a single isolated genius. However, it is true that technological innovations, even if they did use the creative genius of inventors, were generally the result of multiple collaborations. Therefore, it is worth considering that since the 4th century B.C., there had been an intensification of the cultural exchanges between important centres of antiquity, whit the protagonists being engineers who had a wealth of knowledge and experience to transmit. In this cultural climate ripe and scientific techniques that made possible the invention of a new weapon from the jet, which uses the thrust force generated by the torsion beams of nerve fibers or to throw darts or stones. Our knowledge is based not only on limited archaeological evidence, but also on the writings of Philo of Byzantium, Vitruvius and Hero of Alexandria, which, although with some differences, give a sufficient and unambiguous description of the technical characteristics of the components. The historical fact is that this formidable war machine was feared in the siege of cities, but also in open field and naval battles. Over the following centuries, these weapons underwent significant structural changes to suit the most varied war contexts, with them being widely used by armies, making them the most nomenclature weapon, since its invention, being enriched with new terms. However, it remained in use until the invention of gunpowder and the consequent emergence of new weapons with even greater destructive power.
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11386/2297775
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact