Skip to main content

The First Scientific Age and Birth of the Science: From the Beginning of Hellenism to the Diaspora of Scientists of the Museum of Alexandria

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Gears

Part of the book series: Springer Series in Solid and Structural Mechanics ((SSSSM,volume 12))

  • 743 Accesses

Abstract

In this chapter, the development of gears in the first scientific age (the age from the beginning of Hellenism to the diaspora of the Alexandria Museum scientists) is described. This development is characterized by the conception and construction of gears with characteristics almost analogous to modern gears; it is framed in the historical framework of the revolution of the way of thinking about natural phenomena, which is peculiar to the golden age of Hellenism, in which science in the modern sense of the term was born and the scientific method was affirmed. The main contributions to this development, given by scientists, researchers and scholars of the main cultural centers of Hellenism, are described, with particular attention to those of Archimedes, rightly universally considered the gretest scientist of the ancient world, and one of the greatest scientists of every age and time. The great innovations that made use of geared mechanisms are described in greater detail, focusing attention on the qualifying theoretical contributions that underlie the same mechanisms, which for the first time appeared in the history of technology, intended as the daughter of science.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Change history

  • 21 May 2020

    In this chapter, the development of gears in the first scientific age (the age from the beginning of Hellenism to the diaspora of the Alexandria Museum scientists) is described.

References

  1. Acerbi F, Fontanari C, Guardini M (2013) Archimede, Metodo, nel Laboratorio del Genio. Bollati Boringhieri, Torino

    Google Scholar 

  2. Burnyeat MF (1978) The philosophical sense of Theaetetus’ mathematics. Chic: Univ Chic Press J Behalf Hist Sci Soc 69(4):489–513

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cambiano G (1996) Alle origini della meccanica: Archimede e Archita, Arachnion, no 2.1

    Google Scholar 

  4. Canfora L (2001) Storia della Letteratura Greca. Gius. Laterza & Figli, Bari

    Google Scholar 

  5. Canfora L (2007) Johann Gustav Droysen, Histoire de L’Hellénisme. Anabases, Traditions et réceptions de l’Antiquité 5:277–280

    Google Scholar 

  6. Colamarino T, Bo D (1983) Le Opere di Quinto Orazio Flacco. Classici Latini UTET, 2nd edn. Unione Tipografico-Editrice Torinese, Torino (revised and updated reprint)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Dalley S, Oleson JP (2003) Sennacherib, Archimedes, and the water screw: the context of invention in the ancient world. Technol Cult 44(1)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Donovan S (2008) Hypatia: mathematician, inventor, and philosopher. Compass Point Books, Minneapolis

    Google Scholar 

  9. Drachmann AG (1948) Ktesibios, Philon, and Heron: a study in ancient pneumatics. Munksgaard, København

    Google Scholar 

  10. Drachmann AG (1963) The mechanical technology of Greek and Roman antiquity, a study of the literary sources. Munksgaard/University of Wisconsin Press, København/Madison

    Google Scholar 

  11. Droysen JB (1836) Geschicte des Hellenismus, vol 1. Perthes F, Hamburg

    Google Scholar 

  12. Droysen JB (1843) Geschicte des Hellenismus, vol 2. Perthes F, Hamburg

    Google Scholar 

  13. Fleck HF (2016) Archimede, L’Arenario, with Greek text, Quaderni di Scienze Umane e Filosofia Naturale 1(1)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Fleck HF (2016) Archimedous Ochouménon-α’ (On floating bodies-Book I), with Greek text, Quaderni di Scienze Umane e Filosofia Naturale, vol 2(3), Pubblicazione Elettronica Aperiodica

    Google Scholar 

  15. Fraser PM (1972) Ptolemaic Alexandria, vols 1, 2, and 3. Clarendon, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  16. Freeth T (2002) The Antikythera mechanism: challenging the classical research. Mediterr Archaeol Archaeom 2(1):21–35

    Google Scholar 

  17. Freeth T (2012) Building the cosmos in the Antikythera mechanism. Proceeding of Science

    Google Scholar 

  18. Kasner E, Newman JR (2001) Mathematics and the imagination. Dover Publication Inc, New York

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  19. Landels JG (1978) Engineering in the ancient world. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  20. Lewis M (2000) Theoretical hydraulics, automata, and water clocks. In: Örijan W (ed) Handbook of ancient water technology, technology and change in history, vol 2, Leiden, pp 343–369 (356f)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Lewis MJT (1997) Millstone and Hammer: the origins of water power. University of Hull Press, pp 1–73

    Google Scholar 

  22. Lin J-L, Yan H-S (2016) Decoding the mechanisms of antikythera astronomical device. Springer, Berlin

    Book  Google Scholar 

  23. Lloyd GER (1973) Greek science after Aristotle. Norton, New York

    Google Scholar 

  24. Loria G (1914) Le scienze esatte nell’antica Grecia. Ulrico Hoepli, Milano

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  25. Manna F (1980) Storia della Saldatura, vol 1. Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane SPA, Napoli

    Google Scholar 

  26. Manna F (1998) Uomini e Macchine, vol I, vol II, prima parte, and vol II, seconda parte, self-published in Casalnuovo di Napoli, and printed by Offselit, Cava dei Tirreni

    Google Scholar 

  27. Nenci F (ed) (2008) Cicerone: La Repubblica, with Latin text, Collana: Classici Greci e Latini, Milano: BUR Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli

    Google Scholar 

  28. Netz R, Noel W, Tchernetska N, Wilson N (2011) The Archimedes palimpsest, vol I, Catalogue and commentary. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  29. Netz R, Noel W, Tchernetska N, Wilson N (2011) The Archimedes palimpsest, vol II, Images and transcriptions. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  30. Netz R (2004) The works of Archimedes, vol 1. In: The books on the sphere and the cylinder. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  31. Netz R (2017) The works of Archimedes, translation and commentary, vol 2 on spirals. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  32. Netz R, Noel W (2007) The Archimedes Codex: how a Medieval Prayer book is revealing the true genius of antiquity’s greatest scientist. Da Capo Press, Perseus Books Group, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  33. Netz R, Noel W (2008) Il codice perduto di Archimede. La storia di un libro ritrovatoe dei suoi segreti matematici. BUR Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli, Milano

    Google Scholar 

  34. Paipetis SA, Ceccarelli M (eds) (2010) The genius of Archimedes—23 centuries of influence on mathematics, science and engineering. In: Proceedings of an international conference held at Syracuse, Italy, 9–10 June 2010, Springer Science+Business Media, B.V.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Pastore G (2013) Il Planetario di Archimede Ritrovato, and The Recovered Archimedes planetarium. Pastore ed., Rome

    Google Scholar 

  36. Pennestrí E, Valentini PP, Petti F (2002) Kinematic analysis of the Antikythera gear mechanism by means of graph theory. In: Proceedings of DETC02, 2002 ASME design engineering technical conferences, 29 Sept–2 Oct, Montreal, Canada

    Google Scholar 

  37. Price de Solla DJ (1974) Gears from the Greeks. The Antikythera Mechanism—a calendar computer from ca. 80 B.C. Trans Am Phil Soc 64, Part 7 (and reprint in 1975, Science History Publications, New York)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Ramsey S (2016) Tools of war: history of weapons in ancient time. Alpha Editions-Publishing, Vij Publishing Group, Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  39. Russo L (2015) La rivoluzione dimenticata. Il pensiero scientifico greco e la scienza moderna, 9th edn. Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore, Milano

    Google Scholar 

  40. Sarton GAL (1959) A history of science, vol 2: hellenistic science and culture in the last three century B.C. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  41. Vittorio A (2010) Archimede Siracusano: invenzioni e contributi tecnologici. Morrone Editore, Siracusa

    Google Scholar 

  42. Wilson A (2002) Machines, power and the ancient economy. J Roman Stud 92:1–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. White KD (1984) Greek and Roman technology. Cornell University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  44. White KD (1993) The base mechanic arts?: some thoughts on the contribution of science (pure and applied) to the culture of the hellenistic age. In: Green P (ed) Hellenistic history culture. University of California Press, Los Angeles, pp 211–237

    Google Scholar 

  45. Winter TN (2007) The mechanical problems in the corpus of aristotle. Faculty Publications, Classic and Religious Studies Department, University of Nebraska

    Google Scholar 

  46. Wright MT (2005) The Antikythera Mechanism: a New Gearing Scheme. Bull Sci Instrum Soc 85:2–7

    Google Scholar 

  47. Wright MT (2018) Archimedes, astronomy, and the planetarium. In: Rorrers C (ed) Archimedes in the 21st century, Proceedings of a world conference at the courant institute of mathematical sciences. Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Cham, pp 125–141

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vincenzo Vullo .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Vullo, V. (2020). The First Scientific Age and Birth of the Science: From the Beginning of Hellenism to the Diaspora of Scientists of the Museum of Alexandria. In: Gears. Springer Series in Solid and Structural Mechanics, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40164-1_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40164-1_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-40163-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-40164-1

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics