Studies in Medieval Islamic Technology: From Philo to al-Jazari - from Alexandria to Diyar BakrVariorum
Donald R. Hill
ISBN: 0860786064
price: $122.95 hardcover
These studies represent the major contributions to the history
of Islamic technology during the second half of the 20th century
beside Donald Hill's separate publications on the mechanical
devices of Pseudo-Apollonios, the Banu-- Mu-sa- and al-Jazari-. A
gifted linguist who was trained as a historian of Islamic
civilization, and was also a professional engineer, Hill achieved
his goal of setting his subject on a solid basis.
The papers reprinted here include his early studies of the
trebuchet and the camel and horse, several overviews of different
aspects of Islamic technology, articles on specific topics such
as the Cairo Nilometer and al-Biruni's geared luni-solar device,
and the first notice of an extremely important Andalusian
treatise on mechanical devices discovered in 1975.
Contents: Preface; Donald Routledge Hill (1922-94) and list of
Publications; Islamic Technology (General): Islamic fine
technology and its influence on the development of European
horology; Medieval Arabic mechanical technology; From Philo to
al-JazarÈ- ; Arabic fine technology and its influence on
European mechanical engineering; Arabic mechanical engineering:
survey of the historical sources; Information on technology in
the works of Muslim geographers; Mining technology; Hydraulic
machines; Greek Technology: Les oevres de Héron et leur contexte
historique; Construction of a fluting machine by Apollonius the
Carpenter; Islamic Technology (Specific): The nilometer; The
Banu- Mu-sa- and their Book of Ingenious Devices; QustÐa- ibn
Lu-qa-; al-Bi-ru-ni-'s Mechanical Calendar; al-Jazari-; Notice of
an important al-Jazari- manuscript; Technology in Andalusia: A
treatise on machines by Ibn Muca-dh Abu- cAbdalla-h al-Jayya-ni-;
Andalusian Technology; Technology and War: Trebuchets; The camel
and the horse and the early Arab conquests; Indexes.
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