Ingegneria Romana 1

DISEGNI DI ARCHITETTURE ROMANE di Augustin-Théophile QUANTINET (Parigi, 1795-1867). Catalogo a cura di Alessandro Cremona, pp. 3-10, 2016

Today we tend to read ancient texts having to do with science and technology on the assumption that they are informed by our modern categories. However, although the terms “science” and “technology” have their etymological origins in Greek and Latin, in fact they have no exact correspondents in the linguistic and conceptual systems of classical antiquity. This discussion presents for the benefit of students a panoramic view of relevant ancient concepts, placing emphasis on their differences from those of modernity and using the mythic figures of Prometheus and Daedalus as starting points. Especially important is the extent to which ancient cultural discourses on these questions are intertwined with ethical issues; it is thus impossible to approach ancient science and technology without considering the philosophical and moral background of the Greeks and Romans. Finally, I briefly discuss the historiographical issue of the so-called “scientific stagnation” in ancient culture.