Science and Technology- influence of Near East on Greece
book:http://books.google.com/books?id=JZONR6frqcQC&pg=PA188&dq=Science+and+Technology+in+World+History,+Volume+1:&hl=en&ei=xE96TZPfCs2Q0QHzjpXQAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA
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Ancient Egyptian technology
Contrary to some claims the ancient Egypt, part of which falls in
the tropical zone, knew the wheel quite well and used it in transport
and in a more limited way, in construction. While peoples of the region
showed trade and other exchanges, most of this technology
is homegrown, without the need for outside "role models" to serve
as inspiration of native Egyptian techniques.
[i]
"Much earlier forerunners are shown in tomb paintings of the late
Old Kingdom and the 11th Dynasty showing siege towers with
wheels; depictions of movable siege towers exist from the 6th
Dynasty onwards.) This indicates that the wheel was used in the
transport if heavy loads more frequently than assumed..
The use of wheeled equipment in building is not yet attested
to but may have been fairly common. The soft surface of the
desert sand and the mid of the cultivation may have been a
serious obstacle for heavy carriages but not so much for sledges."[/i]
--The encyclopaedia of ancient Egyptian architecture
By Dieter Arnold. 2002. p 195
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[i]
"In all probability wheels would have been of little practical use,
for the building blocks used were far too large and too heavy to
be carried on a wooden-wheeled cart. The relative scarcity of
wood in ancient Egypt would have made the building of such
carts difficult and overcoming the practical and technical difficulties
of building carts to carry and move great weights would have probably
proved impossible.
Wheels would have been, in any event, a far from practical method
of transport on either agricultural land or the desert where they would
have become quickly bogged down in either mud or sand."[/i]
--R. Partridge. (1996) Transport in ancient Egypt. p76
"Interestingly, the earliest representation of
wheeled vehicle from Egypt (tomb of Sebeknekht at
El Kab, Dynasty XIII) shows sledges, mounted on
four disk wheels rather than rollers."
-- Wheeled vehicles and ridden animals in the
ancient Near East (1997), By M. A. Littauer, J.
H. Crouwel. p14
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Egyptian building technology
Egyptians pioneered in the use of stone, a more difficult
material to work with, compared to the mud-brick of Mesopotamia.
The massive works of polished granite and limestone
show a skill and craftsmanship beyond anything from
contemporary Mesopotamia. And that is not even getting
into the mathematical, engineering and astronomical
knowledge that came with the package. Ramps in raising
huge monuments and buildings were a sophisticated
adaptation with at least 5 different types of ramps
in use to supplement log rollers, ropes and sledges.
As one historian notes:
"The Egyptians advanced beyond the Mesopotamians
in another area: vaulting. They used the tunnel or
barrel vault as their Near Eastern counterparts did,
but they added a new style called the corbel vault that
creates arches using stones that jut out to support
other stones. What this indicates is that Egyptians
builders were not determined in their architectural
structures by other civilisations or influences. another
example of this is the innovative cantilevered beams over
the King's Chamber in Giza pyramid. The pent roof distributes
weight and stress in a new way. In other words, Egypt
had skilful engineers who created new types of architectural
supporting systems."
--Y.C. Chiu, An introduction to the History of Project Management. 2010
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