A History of Engineering in Classical and Medieval Times (Paperback)

It is impossible to understand the cultures and achievements of the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Arabs, without knowing something of their technology. Rome, for example, made advances in many areas which were subsequently lost and not regained for more than a millenium.
This book, written by an engineer who was also a historian and renowned scholar of ancient Arabic, fills a gap in our understanding of those impressive societies in which pyramids and cathedrals, arches and aqueducts, roads and bridges, astrolabes and clocks, were designed and built - thus laying the foundation for all our modern technological breakthroughs.
This is a knowledgeable yet lucid account of the wonderful triumphs and the limitations of ancient and medieval engineering. The author systematically described what is known about the evolution of irrigation works, dams, bridges, roads, building construction, water and wind power, automata, and clocks, with shrewd references to the social, geographical, and intellectual context.