An overview of ancient science and technology that surveys Greek
and Roman perspectives on invention and discovery, the roles of
innovation and stagnation in Greek and Roman history, and various
ancient technological systems as they functioned throughout Greek
and Roman societies.
Athena Title
Ancient Science and Technology
Prerequisite
One 1000-level ENGL course or one 1000-level CLAS course or second year or higher student standing or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students will identify and explain the role of technology in Greek and Roman cultures between the eighth century BC and the sixth century AD.
Students will recognize fundamental themes and approaches in the history of technology from study of the Greek and Roman Mediterranean.
Students will evaluate the importance of discovery and invention, functionality, innovation, technology diffusion and transfer, and stagnation in the Greek and Roman worlds.
Students will interpret and analyze ancient technology’s relationships with politics, culture, and environment.
Students will describe how historians and archaeologists answer questions about the past through evidence-based research.
Students will produce writing and research appropriate to the subject matter of the course and to the disciplines of classics and archaeology.
Topical Outline
I. The sources for ancient technology history: written sources, representations, archaeology
II. Approaches to the history of ancient technology: historiography and theory
III. Primary extractive technologies: mining, quarrying, energy, agriculture, animals
IV. Engineering and complex machines
V. Secondary processes and manufacturing: food, metalworking, woodworking, textiles, tanning and leather, ceramics, glass
VI. Trade and transport: roads and bridges, ships and navigation
VII. Technologies of death: warfare and fortifications
VIII. Technologies of the mind: information technology, time, calculation, gadgets
General Education Core
CORE V: Social Sciences
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
