I'm pretty sure this article isn't 100% accurate but it's close enough to get started. There was definitely more science study involved than leisure activity but fuck it, why screw up a good story? I did a segment about the history for a Discovery Channel show and even interviewed a professor from NY who teaches about unintended consequences related to food history also named Andrew Smith.
This is why zeitgeist more than technology is a better indicator of advancement.
Consider that steel was invented around 300 CE by use of the crucible process. It wasn’t until the Bessemer and Seimens-Martin processes in the mid-1800s that it took off.
I might push back on the 300 CE invention date, but yes certainly - what the culture values is unbelievably important.
I think it's also noteworthy that geography matters tremendously here. If a nation can't possibly be isolated, they're going to end up with a huge diversity of ideas. If they can isolate, they might or might not integrate neighboring ideas.
They have different priorities. also, the enslavement of labor means that labor is cheap and therefore why worry about saving supply of something that is phenomenally cheap.
Yeah, this contrast/clash is everything. On a micro level, Hollywood artists are complaining about Wall Street being in the driver's seat, so very few creative risks are taken. Unfortunately, those risks are exactly how culture makes progress... playing it safe with a bunch of remakes and sequels because you know they'll gross a billion dollars doesn't necessarily make for great art, you know?
Gotcha! Yes, for sure - the knowledge was far from continuous, with lots of breaks and geographic divisions messing up continuity. On the other hand, I wonder a few things about that scenario: like, would we have destroyed ourselves by now, had we progressed at a faster pace? I think a huge reason folks are arguing today so much is that the world is much smaller due to technology, but nobody has time to adjust in real time.
Thanks for this great article. It makes me think. I suggest Ctesibius. He is an ancient Greek inventor credited with documenting the science of compressed air. He also designed compressed air to be used in pumps.
Archimedes for sure! His screw, the pulley system, etc - lots of practical inventions that we built upon over time. Pythagoras, I see much more as a deep thinker, in the vein of Einstein or Maxwell or Newton, less of an inventor/innovator, although I'm sure those lines blurred a great deal.
A pioneering figure of the Islamic Golden Age, Alhazen was a polymath who made significant contributions to the principles of optics, astronomy, and mathematics in the 10th and 11th centuries. He is often credited with inventing the camera obscura and formulating the early concept of the scientific method. His Book of Optics had a profound impact on the development of optics and visual perception in both the East and West.
Lu Ban
Lu Ban was a Chinese carpenter, engineer, and inventor who lived during the Spring and Autumn period (771 to 476 BC). He is credited with inventing the cloud ladder (a type of siege ladder), the grappling hook, and a wooden bird that reportedly could fly for three days (an early form of kite).
Archytas of Tarentum
A contemporary of Plato and a friend of Archimedes, Archytas is reputed to have designed and built the first artificial, self-propelled flying device, a steam-powered pigeon, which could reportedly fly for several minutes using a jet of steam or compressed air.
Zhang Heng
Moving east, Zhang Heng (AD 78–139) was a Chinese astronomer, mathematician, inventor, geographer, cartographer, artist, poet, statesman, and literary scholar from Nanyang in Henan province. He invented the first water-powered armillary sphere to aid astronomical observation and the first seismoscope to detect the direction of an earthquake.
Al-Jazari
Ismail al-Jazari (1136–1206) was an Arab Muslim polymath: an inventor, mechanical engineer, craftsman, artist, mathematician, and astronomer from Diyarbakır, Turkey. He wrote The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices in 1206, where he described fifty mechanical inventions along with instructions on how to construct them.
Fun Fact: one of the key innovations that came out of that early engine was an alcohol distiller. This was further developed in the Middle East for use in scientific experiments as well as making water more potable and then eventually... leisure activity.
Hey, that's really cool! Could you share a link on that so I can read more? I love how the unintended consequences (including very positive stuff) can result from the creative process. I'm really into that right now.
You always set my mind awandering. Now I'd like to find a historical fiction/fantasy/time travel book about the Library of Alexandria ... anyone know of something like that?
Wow. That was a fascinating read. I was aware of the fact that Heron of Alexandria was the the first (known) personality to invent the steam engine, but I never considered that in a broader perspective to see Heron as also the inventor of Automata, a concept absolutely essential in the design of not just automatic machines but also in the creation of digital computing devices.
Gotta love the Polymaths!!
I'm pretty sure this article isn't 100% accurate but it's close enough to get started. There was definitely more science study involved than leisure activity but fuck it, why screw up a good story? I did a segment about the history for a Discovery Channel show and even interviewed a professor from NY who teaches about unintended consequences related to food history also named Andrew Smith.
https://thisweekinpalestine.com/distilled-spirits-an-arab-invention/#:~:text=Arabs%20invented%20distilled%20spirits&text=By%20the%20fifth%20century%2C%20Western,to%20chemistry%2C%20among%20other%20disciplines.
This is why zeitgeist more than technology is a better indicator of advancement.
Consider that steel was invented around 300 CE by use of the crucible process. It wasn’t until the Bessemer and Seimens-Martin processes in the mid-1800s that it took off.
I might push back on the 300 CE invention date, but yes certainly - what the culture values is unbelievably important.
I think it's also noteworthy that geography matters tremendously here. If a nation can't possibly be isolated, they're going to end up with a huge diversity of ideas. If they can isolate, they might or might not integrate neighboring ideas.
They have different priorities. also, the enslavement of labor means that labor is cheap and therefore why worry about saving supply of something that is phenomenally cheap.
Yeah, this contrast/clash is everything. On a micro level, Hollywood artists are complaining about Wall Street being in the driver's seat, so very few creative risks are taken. Unfortunately, those risks are exactly how culture makes progress... playing it safe with a bunch of remakes and sequels because you know they'll gross a billion dollars doesn't necessarily make for great art, you know?
Not anything in particular, except that the Industrial Revolution might have happened earlier.
Gotcha! Yes, for sure - the knowledge was far from continuous, with lots of breaks and geographic divisions messing up continuity. On the other hand, I wonder a few things about that scenario: like, would we have destroyed ourselves by now, had we progressed at a faster pace? I think a huge reason folks are arguing today so much is that the world is much smaller due to technology, but nobody has time to adjust in real time.
The world might have been quite different if some of this Greek technology had endured up until today.
Any specific technology in mind? (had to edit because I misread initially as "Greek terminology" - that really got me curious!)
Thanks for this great article. It makes me think. I suggest Ctesibius. He is an ancient Greek inventor credited with documenting the science of compressed air. He also designed compressed air to be used in pumps.
That's a good one! He came from the same place as our friend Heron, but predates him by a few centuries. Great callout.
Does Archimedes or Pythagoras fit the bill?
Archimedes for sure! His screw, the pulley system, etc - lots of practical inventions that we built upon over time. Pythagoras, I see much more as a deep thinker, in the vein of Einstein or Maxwell or Newton, less of an inventor/innovator, although I'm sure those lines blurred a great deal.
ChatGPT has some more:
Alhazen (Ibn al-Haytham)
A pioneering figure of the Islamic Golden Age, Alhazen was a polymath who made significant contributions to the principles of optics, astronomy, and mathematics in the 10th and 11th centuries. He is often credited with inventing the camera obscura and formulating the early concept of the scientific method. His Book of Optics had a profound impact on the development of optics and visual perception in both the East and West.
Lu Ban
Lu Ban was a Chinese carpenter, engineer, and inventor who lived during the Spring and Autumn period (771 to 476 BC). He is credited with inventing the cloud ladder (a type of siege ladder), the grappling hook, and a wooden bird that reportedly could fly for three days (an early form of kite).
Archytas of Tarentum
A contemporary of Plato and a friend of Archimedes, Archytas is reputed to have designed and built the first artificial, self-propelled flying device, a steam-powered pigeon, which could reportedly fly for several minutes using a jet of steam or compressed air.
Zhang Heng
Moving east, Zhang Heng (AD 78–139) was a Chinese astronomer, mathematician, inventor, geographer, cartographer, artist, poet, statesman, and literary scholar from Nanyang in Henan province. He invented the first water-powered armillary sphere to aid astronomical observation and the first seismoscope to detect the direction of an earthquake.
Al-Jazari
Ismail al-Jazari (1136–1206) was an Arab Muslim polymath: an inventor, mechanical engineer, craftsman, artist, mathematician, and astronomer from Diyarbakır, Turkey. He wrote The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices in 1206, where he described fifty mechanical inventions along with instructions on how to construct them.
I'm pretty sure this article isn't 100% accurate but it's close enough to get started. There was definitely more science involved than figuring out how to get drunk. I learned about it as part of a Discovery Channel show I did around 2006, I actually interviewed a guy named Andrew Smith for the show who was a professor that taught all about unintended consequences in the food and beverage world. https://thisweekinpalestine.com/distilled-spirits-an-arab-invention/#:~:text=Arabs%20invented%20distilled%20spirits&text=By%20the%20fifth%20century%2C%20Western,to%20chemistry%2C%20among%20other%20disciplines.
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that that was me in 2006. I looked different back then.
Fun Fact: one of the key innovations that came out of that early engine was an alcohol distiller. This was further developed in the Middle East for use in scientific experiments as well as making water more potable and then eventually... leisure activity.
Hey, that's really cool! Could you share a link on that so I can read more? I love how the unintended consequences (including very positive stuff) can result from the creative process. I'm really into that right now.
You always set my mind awandering. Now I'd like to find a historical fiction/fantasy/time travel book about the Library of Alexandria ... anyone know of something like that?
Very good question. I wonder if one of my sci-fi friends reading this might be interested in tackling this!
That’s why I like your writings! No way I would have ever stumbled upon this in a conversation!
That's awesome, Bud! That's why I'm here.
Very interesting!
Wow. That was a fascinating read. I was aware of the fact that Heron of Alexandria was the the first (known) personality to invent the steam engine, but I never considered that in a broader perspective to see Heron as also the inventor of Automata, a concept absolutely essential in the design of not just automatic machines but also in the creation of digital computing devices.
Mir, you might really enjoy a little more of this history:
https://goatfury.substack.com/p/automations-surprising-history
Note: this was written months back, and I'm better at writing now, but it's just such a great story.
That was definitely a new knowledge nugget to me!
Also, you said "butted up" - *insert Nelson Muntz's "Ha Ha!" gif here.*
Wow, middle school me is super embarrassed that I missed that!
That's what you have perpetually-middle-school me for!
Oh, the heights we'll hit!