CONTENTS
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
The Calendar
Plato’s Water Alarm Clock
Beekeeping
The Mechanical Clock
Mesoamerican Chocolate
The Umbrella
A Brief History of the Lavatory
Beds and Bedding
Locks and Keys
The Wig
The Secrets of Distillation
Make-Up
The Fire Brigade
Bone Tools
Cutlery
Refrigeration
Razors
Chewing Gum
A Brief History of Sex and Sex Aids
The Alphabet
Playing Cards
The Garden
Glue
Money
Ancient Matches
Rubber
Mirrors
Silk
Early Games
The First Skiers
CHAPTER 2
The Extraordinary Steam Engine of Hero of Alexandria
The Pharos Of Alexandria
A Very Brief History of Metalwork
Greek Technology
The Spoked Wheel
Prehistoric Inventions
The Hot Air Balloon
The Crane
The Screw
Tunnels and Mines
Oil Wells and Boreholes
Glassmaking
Movable Type
The Four Great Inventions
The Windmill
Underwater Diving
CHAPTER 3
Ancient Nanotechnology
Damascus Steel
The Lycurgus Cup
Maya Blue
The Baghdad Battery
Unbreakable Glass
Roman Concrete
The Assyrian Nimrud Lens
The Norse Sunstone
The Antikythera Mechanism
CHAPTER 4
Archimedes’ Heat Ray
The Ancient Machine Gun
A Very Brief History of Early Weaponry
The Crossbow
The Catapult
The Warship
Greek Fire
One That Got Away
Poison Gas
Armour and Tanks
The Parachute
CHAPTER 5
Surgery
Plastic Surgery
A Very Brief History of Anatomy
Socialized Medicine
False Teeth
Anaesthetics
A Very Brief History of Dentistry
False Limbs
Early Tattoos
CHAPTER 6
Magnetism
Pigment
Algebra
The Atom
Counting
Zhang’s Seismoscope
Zhang Heng, the Chinese Da Vinci
The Star Chart
Mapmaking
Pesticides
The Rocket
The Camera Obscura
The Number Zero
Refraction and Optical Devices
A Brief History of Long-Distance Communication
Afterword
Picture Credits
Acknowledgements
Index