GREEK AND ROMAN STUDIES 376: ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY (2006)

This course will provide an introduction to the role of technology in the ancient Mediterranean world, based mainly on primary evidence. We will draw our information for the most part from translations of ancient Greek and Latin texts, combined with archaeological remains and ancient representations of procedures, tools and products. The constant focus on primary information is intended to assist you to develop your own conception of the relationships between ancient societies and the technologies they developed. The survey will touch on the earliest developments from the Palaeolithic through the Late Bronze Age, but will emphasize the technological development and capabilities of the Greek and Roman cultures, and the social place of their technologies. Special topics will include the extractive technologies, processing of materials, machinery and gadgets, mass production, engineering, nautical technology, the role of gender, the status of labour, and attitudes towards technology and innovation. In more general terms, this course has been designed to enhance your ability in critical thinking, particularly in the analysis of ancient texts and objects in their social context, and your ability to express and document your ideas clearly in expository prose. There are no prerequisites for the course, but GRS 371, 372, or 377 are useful and recommended.

Instructor: Prof. John P. Oleson. Clearihue B423. Tel. 721-8519.
E-mail: jpoleson@uvic.ca.Web page: http://web.uvic.ca/~jpoleson.
Office hours: Tuesday 9:30-10:20, Thursday 2:30-3:20, or by appointment.

Schedule: Monday and Thursday at 10:00-11:15 a.m. in Clearihue A301.

Text: J. Humphrey, J.P. Oleson, A.N. Sherwood, Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook (London 1998).

Optional Supplementary Readings (on Reserve in McPherson Library):
Bass, G., ed., A History of Seafaring Based on Underwater Archaeology (New York, 1972)(G540 B272).
Hodges, H.W., Technology in the Ancient World (New York, 1970) (T16/H63).
Roebuck, C., ed., Muses at Work: Arts, Crafts, and Professions in Ancient Greece and Rome (Cambridge, MA, 1969) (DF78/M84).
Strong, D., and Brown, D., Roman Crafts (London, 1976) (NK680/R64).
K.D. White, Greek and Roman Technology (Ithaca NY, 1984) (T16 W5).
Ö. Wikander, Handbook of Ancient Water Technology (Leiden, 2000) (T16 H36).

Requirements:
(1) Mid-term examination (February 27, 25% of term grade).
(2) Research paper, based largely on material in the sourcebook or other primary evidence (ca. 2,000-2,500 words. Due 3 April, 40% of term grade).
(3) Final examination (35% of term grade).
Examinations will consist of slide identification and discussion, short answer questions, and essays. I will post images for review on the WebCT site before the Mid-term and Final examinations. The date of the final exam cannot be adjusted.

Grading System:
All assignments must be completed in order to receive a passing grade in the course. Electronic copies of the research paper must be submitted to MyDropBox.com for evaluation of originality; if you object to this procedure, do not register for the course. I will mark all assignments with percentages of the total possible score. I will use the following equivalences for transforming the percentage grade into the letter grades that must be submitted to the registrar at the end of term: A range, 100-86%, B range, 85-76%, C range, 75-66%, D range, 65-50%, F range, below 50%. Cheating or plagiarism of any type may result in a grade of F for the term. Spelling, grammar, and style are taken into consideration in grading the research papers. See the Department’s web site for a definition of plagiarism. I will distribute a cover sheet that sets out in detail my system for evaluating research papers and my policy on late submission.

Lecture Syllabus and Reading Assignments (subject to alteration in detail):
The only assigned readings are those in the Sourcebook. Read this material carefully and critically, including the introductions. The “Optional Readings” provided for most lectures are intended to provide supplementary material for individuals who miss a lecture, who would like to review some images or ideas, or who wish to develop a topic for the research paper. This optional material is useful but not required. It will be difficult to pass this course unless you attend lectures regularly, since I will present a great deal of information that does not appear in the assigned text.

Jan. 5: No class.
9: Introduction: The History of Technology and its Sources.
Sourcebook, pp. xv-xxiv.
12: The Appearance of Human Culture: The Rise of Hominids, Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Cultures, The “Neolithic Revolution.”
Sourcebook, Chap. 1.
16: Society and Technology. Bronze Age Technology in Egypt, Crete, and Greece.
Optional: Hodges, TAW chap. 3-4.
19: The Spread of Iron-Working. Greek Cultural Attitudes and Early Scientific Philosophy.
Sourcebook, chap. 13.
23: Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.
Sourcebook, chap. 3.
Optional: Roebuck, MAW pp. 148-70.
26: Mining and Quarrying.
Sourcebook, chap. 5.
Optional: White, GRT pp. 113-19, 238-40.
30: Metallurgy.
Sourcebook, chap. 6.
Optional: White, GRT pp. 120-26; Strong, RC 127-41.
Feb. 2: Irrigation and Hydraulic Technology.
Sourcebook, chap. 8.
Optional: White, GRT pp. 100-4, 157-73, 214-15, Table 9; J.P. Oleson, “Irrigation”, and “Water-Lifting,” in Wikander, HAWT pp. 183-302.
6: Food and Drink.
Sourcebook, chap. 4.
Optional: White, GRT pp. 58-72, Tables 2-4.
9: Metalworking and Tools.
Sourcebook, pp. 331-37.
Optional: Strong, RC pp. 11-61, 143-53.
13: Textiles and Leather.
Sourcebook, pp. 346-71.
Optional: Strong, RC pp. 166-93.
16: Applied Chemistry. Woodworking.
Sourcebook, pp. 337-46, 380-90.
Optional: Strong, RC pp. 155-65.
20-25: READING BREAK
27: MIDTERM EXAMINATION.
Mar. 2: Ceramic production.
Sourcebook, pp. 371-75.
Optional: Roebuck, MAW pp. 118-46, Strong, RC pp. 75-103.
6: Glass-making.
Sourcebook, pp. 375-80.
Optional: Strong, RC pp. 111-25.
9: The Social and Economic Role of Transportation. Land Transport and Roads.
Sourcebook, pp. 409-42.
Optional: White, GRT pp. 127-40, 208-9, 215-16, Table 7.
13: Sea Transportation and Harbours.
Sourcebook, pp. 442-84.
Optional: White, GRT pp. 104-12, 141-56, 201-2, 210-13, Tables 6, 8; Shaw, “Greek and Roman Harbour-Works,” In Bass, HSUA 87-112.
16: Trade, Coinage, Prices, and Wages.
Sourcebook, pp. 484-511.
Optional: Strong, RC pp. 62-73.
20: Literacy and Book Production. Calendars and Time Reckoning.
Sourcebook, chap. 11.
23: Construction Engineering.
Sourcebook, chap. 7.
Optional: White, GRT pp. 73-100, 202-8; Roebuck, MAW pp. 2-59.
27: Warfare.
Sourcebook, chap. 12.
Optional: White, GRT pp. 217-20.
30: Prime-Movers, Machines, Gadgets.
Sourcebook, chap. 2.
Optional: White, GRT pp. 49-57, 193-201.
Apr. 3: Attitudes towards Technology.
Sourcebook, chap. 13.
Optional: N. Morley, “Trajan’s Engines.” Greece and Rome 47 (2000) 197-210 (DE1 G7); A. Wilson, “Machines, Power, and the Ancient Economy,” Journal of Roman Studies 92 (2002) 1-32 (DG11 J7). (These journals are in stacks and on line).
RESEARCH PAPER DUE.

6: Technological Innovation and the Status of Labour.
Sourcebook, pp. 390-408.
Optional: White, GRT pp. 27-48, 189-93; K. Green, “Technology and innovation in context: The Roman background to mediaeval and later developments.” Journal of Roman Archaeology 7 (1994) 22-33 (DG11 J6); K. Greene, “Technological innovation and economic progress in the ancient world: M.I. Finley re-considered.” Economic History Review 53 (2000) 29-59 (HC10 E42).

FINAL EXAMINATION

Reserve List: In addition to the supplementary readings listed above, the following titles are in the McPherson Library Reserve Room.
Forbes, R. J. Studies in Ancient Technology, 9 vols. (Leiden, 1964-72). I, Bitumen and Petroleum in Antiquity; II Irrigation and Drainage; III, Cosmetics, Perfumes, and Food; IV, Fibres and Fabrics; V, Leather, Sugar, Glass; VI, Heating and Cooling; VII, Geology, Mining, and Quarrying; VIII, Metallurgy, pt. 1; IX, Metallurgy, pt. 2 (T15/F728).
J. Humphrey, J.P. Oleson, A.N. Sherwood, Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook (London 1998)(T16/H796).
Landels, J.G., Engineering in the Ancient World (London, 1978) (T16/L36).
Singer, C., et al., edd., A History of Technology, I: From Early Times to the Fall of the Ancient Empires (Oxford, 1954), II: The Mediterranean Civilizations and the Middle Ages (Oxford, 1956) (T15/H53).

WebCT Resources:
The WebCT site for the course contains a copy of the course syllabus. As the term progresses, I will also mount copies of various handouts concerning the research paper, examination review sheets, and the overheads I show with each lecture, which list key words and names. You can view these on the web server, print them out, or download the files to your computer. I will make an attempt to post the overhead texts I use for each lecture several days before the relevant lecture, but I reserve the right to make changes at the last moment.

I have published an annotated bibliography on ancient technology which is available in the Reference Area (not the Reserve Room). It is, however, now 20 years old: J.P. Oleson, Bronze Age, Greek, and Roman Technology: A Select, Annotated Bibliography (New York, 1986) (Ref. Z7914/H5O42). There are also topical, more up to date bibliographies in your Sourcebook. Since 1986 I have maintained a much more extensive and up-to-date computerized database that is organized according to 44 separate technologies. This database, which I have exported to a single, large Excel file in order to make it more accessible, can be searched by key words, author, date, or any part of the title. Start with the “work sheet” for the appropriate technology or topic. Many of the titles listed are not in our library, but you will find the bibliography useful in any case for your research paper. UVic call numbers are given where known, but their absence does not mean that the library does not have the item. This bibliography can be accessed on the WebCT course site, but the machine you are using will have to have a copy of Excel in order to open the files. To search the keyword column of a particular worksheet, click on the arrow at the right side of the top of that column and click on “custom filter” (near the top). Select “Key Words Contains” from the pull-down list, and type, for example, “smelting” to get a list of all the items for which one of the keywords is “smelting.” You can, of course, refine the keyword searches with the and/or alternatives provided (“smelting” and “Greek”), and you can search any of the columns in the same manner. Please see me if you need help.

Web Sites:
You may also want to consult various resources on “the web.” I list below one good place to start, but Google now works amazingly well for topical words. DO NOT DOWNLOAD TEXT AND USE IT IN YOUR RESEARCH PAPERS WITHOUT CITING THE SOURCE. THIS CONSTITUTES PLAGIARISM AND, NATURALLY, IS VERY EASY TO TRACE. In any case, except for a very few web sites of academic origin, most web sites are not suitable sources of interpretive information for your research paper and must not be used as such. They are best used as sources of illustrations and occasionally for specific information. If you wish to cite information from a web site, simply list the URL in the citation note or footnote, as you would a book or journal article.

Electronic Resources for Classicists. Lots of material: http://www.tlg.uci.edu/index/about.html.

[rev. 12/05]