The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: Science, Engineering and Technology

by Michael Denis Higgins

Overview

Michael Higgins broadens our understanding of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by bringing science, engineering, and technology together with ancient documentation and archaeological findings. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Pyramids of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Colossus of Rhodes, and the Pharos Lighthouse at Alexandria) have been a source of fascination for more than two thousand years. Even though six of the Wonders are now gone, historians and archaeologists have attempted to explain how and why these ancient monuments were created. However, never before have these attempts been synthesized with the contributions of science, engineering, and technology. In The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Michael Higgins combines scientific research together with ancient documentation and archaeological findings to present a rich, multi-layered portrait of each monument. To build a Wonder took advanced social organization and wealth generated by agriculture and trade, both of which depended on regional geography and climate. It also took natural resources, as well as an understanding of the environment where the Wonder would stand. Even the natural processes often responsible for a Wonder's destruction sometimes contributed to the preservation of its ruins. These and other topics are accessibly explored in this book. After using science, engineering, and technology to answer key questions about the Wonders, Higgins speculates on how we could recreate these ancient monuments and make new wonders that could withstand environmental changes and natural disasters for the next two thousand years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780197648162
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/18/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	126 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Michael Denis Higgins is Professor Emeritus of Earth Science at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and the author of Quantitative Textural Measurements in Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology, and, with his father Reynold Higgins, A Geological Companion to Greece and the Aegean.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Pyramids of Giza Chapter 3: The Hanging Gardens Chapter 4: The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Chapter 5: The Mausoleum Chapter 6: The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus Chapter 7: The Colossus of Rhodes Chapter 8: The Pharos of Alexandria Chapter 9: Rebuilding the Wonders

Editorial Reviews

"Here is a refreshing treatment of a topic that goes back to antiquity: what were the methods and conditions that made possible the construction of the renowned Seven Wonders? With a light touch, Higgins brings to bear geology, metallurgy, ancient craft and engineering, archaeology, and historical scholarship to reveal how grand projects were achieved in ancient Egypt, the Near East, and Greece." — Alexander Jones, author of A Portable Cosmos

"In this wide-ranging book Higgins, a geologist, presents a refreshing, personal approach to The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. His energetic and well documented presentation differs from the many other discussions of the Wonders by carefully considering the associated influences of geology, tectonics, and the environment. An engaging final chapter on rebuilding the Wonders provides an engineer's view of how modern materials and techniques might have guaranteed the monuments a longer life." — John Peter Oleson, editor of The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World

"The Seven Wonders of The Ancient World: Science, Engineering, and Technology, Michael Denis Higgins,...Higgins ends his work with a theoretical discussion of how the ancient Wonders could be reconstructed with modern engineering...Professor Higgins's desire to rebuild the wonders of the ancient world is interesting." — Jesse Russell, Voegelinview

"The book under review offers a fast-moving, impassioned, and richly illustrated exposé of the Seven Wonders from a specific angle: that of science, engineering, and technology... There is much to learn for everyone, particularly in the sections concerning the geology and materials involved in the creation of the Wonders, often overlooked in historical accounts... In sum, the book offers an original discussion of the modern list of Seven Ancient Wonders, bringing science, engineering, and technology to the forefront. It invites readers to explore these Wonders and their broader regional and scientific contexts. While it embraces a degree of speculation and may not fully satisfy the stringent referencing and historical rigor of the humanities, it provides many interesting insights about the Seven Wonders, making them again accessible to a general audience." — Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"A fascinating work and one that is eminently accessible. It is also extremely readable, requiring very little prior knowledge of the science and technology of the ancient world. What could be a dry topic is anything but, and Higgins' writing is rich in detail and evocative of the distant worlds in which the wonders existed. The book will appeal to a wide range of readers, and deservedly so." — All About History

From the Publisher