Greek and Roman Technology

Knowledge is power. This is a common saying, which many of us are familiar with today. Whoever holds the key to new technologies holds this power. This was the case with ancient empires such as the Greek and Romans. They gained their dominance by creating new and innovative ideas, which developed them into the nations they once were.

            Nations tend to compete when it comes to innovation. It’s forward thinking, and is also a way to coexist peacefully (sharing of ideas) instead of resorting for physical means to prove superiority, such as using war to create dominance. When a technologically advanced society gets corrupt, they tend to get cocky and forget about the importance of innovation and instead resort to war to make a point. They resort to war to make a competitive point instead of using technology to do so. This idea is inevitably what led to the fall of ancient Greece and Rome.

            Today, history does seem to repeat itself. Many compare American ideals to that of ancient Greece and Rome. America gained its power through economic triumph and new forward-thinking technologies, such as the production line. During World War II, America was also pumping out new ideas (helped to pull the USA out of depression) to outmatch the enemy.  When the space race came around during the 50s, Russia launched Sputnik, which prompted the US to respond with new and better forms of space technology. Currently, the US has seemed to place its military superiority above technological advancement, which I believe may be the downfall of our nation, similar to that of ancient Greece and Rome.
           In conclusion, the influence of ancient Greece and Rome was able to spread due to their imperialistic view points, and the cultural importance of their technological advances.Within this blog I talk about some of the important technologies, which helped to grow these nations into the great empires they once were.

Sources

http://www.swan.ac.uk/grst/

http://www.englisharticles.info/2010/05/23/greek-and-roman-technologies/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/266627/Hippocrates

http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Art/

http://www.unrv.com/culture/architecture.php

http://academicearth.org/courses/roman-architecture

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/arch/roman_arch.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Roman_architecture

http://www.greatbuildings.com/types/styles/roman.html

http://www.economist.com/node/1337165

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/greek-temples

http://www.greekmedicine.net/whos_who/Hippocrates.html

 Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook (By John William Humphrey, John Peter Oleson, Andrew Neil Sherwood)