Palos
Knight
The Antiquity was an age of knowledge, of great advancements in the realms of thought and sciences (parts of the natural philosophy concept). Unfortunately some of this knowledge was lost after so many thousands of years. Who knows what informations were preserved for example in the Library of Alexandria at the time of its destruction? Although much information was lost, there is plenty of evidence that these civilizations were pretty advanced and in some areas that high standard set by the ancients was going to be achieved only in present times.
My reason for opening this thread is to list some of these technologies and artifacts, many forgotten for ages while others unknown even to this day. Almost all my examples remain in the field of technology. From the current list only the perpetual lamp could be placed in the myth area.
I’ll start with the engineering examples:
- Proper knowledge of stonemasonry applied to the building of various large structures like the complex of Baalbek in Lebanon with the famous Trilithon (three gigantic stones measuring each 14x12x64 feet and a weight of 800 tons), the fabled Seven Wonders, the rests of the pyramids, many Mayan sites (Tikal, Calakmul) etc.
- Good urban planning: Uruk (the largest city in the world in 3000 BC – 80 000 inhabitants), Babylon, Avaris, Thebes, Yinxu, Babylon, Carthage (500 000 inhabitants in 300 BC), Alexandria, Rome (I think that is the first city to reach 1 million inhabitants). Such urbanization rate was going to be achieved again in Europe only in the lasts hundred years.
- The use of central heating and plumbing systems on large scale throughout the Antiquity, from Europe to Asia. It seems that many cities in Northern Africa had such plumbing systems long before the arrival of Romans.
- Advanced metallurgical techniques. For example the iron pillar built in a single forge aparently in about 350 AD (India), weighting six tons, 100% anti-corrosion (although containing 98% pure iron).
http://www.inae.org/metallurgy/iron%20pillar/gurudev_iron%20pillar_2007.pdf
Another example in this area is the discovery of various metal parts, in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, estimated to be casted at high temperatures, a technology used later only in the 20th century.
And now the items:
- Antikythera mechanism, discovered in a shipwreck near Crete, probably dating from 100 BC, and known as the first calculating device, a scientific computer. Such complex design was achievable again only 1700 – 1800 years later. It is believed that it was used in astronomy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism
- The Baghdad battery discovered in 1936, dating from approximately 200 AD. The main theory is that this artifact was used as an electrical device.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_battery
- The so called ever-burning or perpetual lamps, found in various ancient sites (especially tombs), from the Middle Ages onward. These items were supposed to be in use for hundred of years at the time of their discovery. I'm not aware of recent uncovery of such artifacts in recent times. It could be a myth related to the esoteric traditions.
Feel free to name other examples.
My reason for opening this thread is to list some of these technologies and artifacts, many forgotten for ages while others unknown even to this day. Almost all my examples remain in the field of technology. From the current list only the perpetual lamp could be placed in the myth area.
I’ll start with the engineering examples:
- Proper knowledge of stonemasonry applied to the building of various large structures like the complex of Baalbek in Lebanon with the famous Trilithon (three gigantic stones measuring each 14x12x64 feet and a weight of 800 tons), the fabled Seven Wonders, the rests of the pyramids, many Mayan sites (Tikal, Calakmul) etc.
- Good urban planning: Uruk (the largest city in the world in 3000 BC – 80 000 inhabitants), Babylon, Avaris, Thebes, Yinxu, Babylon, Carthage (500 000 inhabitants in 300 BC), Alexandria, Rome (I think that is the first city to reach 1 million inhabitants). Such urbanization rate was going to be achieved again in Europe only in the lasts hundred years.
- The use of central heating and plumbing systems on large scale throughout the Antiquity, from Europe to Asia. It seems that many cities in Northern Africa had such plumbing systems long before the arrival of Romans.
- Advanced metallurgical techniques. For example the iron pillar built in a single forge aparently in about 350 AD (India), weighting six tons, 100% anti-corrosion (although containing 98% pure iron).
http://www.inae.org/metallurgy/iron%20pillar/gurudev_iron%20pillar_2007.pdf
Another example in this area is the discovery of various metal parts, in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, estimated to be casted at high temperatures, a technology used later only in the 20th century.
And now the items:
- Antikythera mechanism, discovered in a shipwreck near Crete, probably dating from 100 BC, and known as the first calculating device, a scientific computer. Such complex design was achievable again only 1700 – 1800 years later. It is believed that it was used in astronomy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism
- The Baghdad battery discovered in 1936, dating from approximately 200 AD. The main theory is that this artifact was used as an electrical device.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_battery
- The so called ever-burning or perpetual lamps, found in various ancient sites (especially tombs), from the Middle Ages onward. These items were supposed to be in use for hundred of years at the time of their discovery. I'm not aware of recent uncovery of such artifacts in recent times. It could be a myth related to the esoteric traditions.
Feel free to name other examples.
