Mechanics of Pre-industrial Technology: An Introduction to the Mechanics of Ancient and Traditional Material Culture. This item is unavailable.Mechanics of Pre-industrial Technology: An Introduction to the Mechanics of Ancient and Traditional Material Culture

Minor shelf wear, scratching to wraps, binding tight, pages clean and unmarked. "Mechanics of pre-industrial technology is a marvellous book. It is to the brim full of information, never dull and well researched throughout. The illustrations are extremely well chosen, very copious and most informative." ANU Reporter "It should be required reading for all archaeologists, to stop them perpetuating the scientific howlers that disfigure so many `interpretations'." British Archaeological News Cover illustration: A traditional Chinese building method for raising heavy weights: nineteenth-century European lithographic copy of a Chinese drawing Cover design: Jack Bowles CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS This book is the first general account of the mechanics behind pre-industrial technology and combines the skills of an engineer and an archaeologist. They show how mechanics can aid in creating a better understanding of the functions of artefacts and the achievements of early technology. The authors spread a wide net. They examine technology from the earliest stone tools of more than two million years ago to the erection of the statues of Easter Island which continued into the seventeenth century. Representative material cultures from most areas of the world have been selected for this study, and the book shows how sophisticated were many of their apparently simple techniques and artefacts. After an introduction to basic mechanics, the book examines the elements of machines, the various structures which can be made to bridge openings, the mechanics involved in fashioning stone tools, projectiles such as the spear and boomerang, the efficiency of transport by land and water, and the mechanics of musical instruments. The broad coverage of this book will appeal to those with interests in archaeology and anthropology, world history and the history of technology. It is also a valuable and fascinating insight into the history of mechanical science and engineering.…