In this comprehensive history, Donald Hill opens a window on medieval and classical engineering. The book focuses on on Greece, Rome and medieval Western Europe, but also includes interesting information on Middle Eastern technology.

Documenting over 1800 years, Donald Hill illustrates how classical and medieval engineers designed early irrigation systems, dams, bridges, clocks and how they harnessed the power of both water and wind. Working largely without a quantified, scientific basis for their designs, these early engineers studied the properties of materials and the way in which fluids and solids behaved in certain conditions. They then applied this knowledge to efficiently solve problems. This fascinating study documents over 1800 years of early engineering.