Science and Technology in Homeric Epics HISTORY OF MECHANISM AND MACHINE SCIENCE Volume6 SeriesEditor MARCOCECCARELLI AimsandScopeoftheSeries This bookseries aims to establish a well defined forumfor Monographsand Pro- ceedings on the History of Mechanism and Machine Science (MMS). The series publishesworksthatgiveanoverviewofthehistoricaldevelopments,fromtheearli- esttimesuptoandincludingtherecentpast,ofMMSinallitstechnicalaspects. This technical approach is an essential characteristic of the series. By discussing technicaldetailsandformulationsandevenreformulatingthoseintermsofmodern formalismsthepossibilityiscreatednotonlytotrackthehistoricaltechnicaldevel- opmentsbutalso to use pastexperiencesin technicalteachingandresearchtoday. In order to do so, the emphasis must be on technical aspects rather than a purely historicalfocus,althoughthelatterhasitsplacetoo. Furthermore,the series will considerthe republicationof out-of-printolder works withEnglishtranslationandcomments. Thebookseriesisintendedtocollecttechnicalviewsonhistoricaldevelopmentsof thebroadfieldofMMSinauniqueframethatcanbeseeninitstotalityasanEn- cyclopaediaoftheHistoryofMMSbutwiththeadditionalpurposeofarchivingand teachingtheHistoryofMMS.Thereforethebookseriesisintendednotonlyforre- searchersoftheHistoryofEngineeringbutalsoforprofessionalsandstudentswho are interested in obtaininga clear perspectiveof the past for their futuretechnical works.Thebookswillbewritteningeneralbyengineersbutnotonlyforengineers. Prospectiveauthorsandeditorscancontacttheserieseditor,ProfessorM.Ceccarelli, aboutfuturepublicationswithintheseriesat: LARM:LaboratoryofRoboticsandMechatronics DiMSAT–UniversityofCassino ViaDiBiasio43,03043Cassino(Fr) Italy E-mail:[email protected] Forothertitlespublishedinthisseries,goto www.springer.com/series/7481 S.A. Paipetis Editor Science and Technology in Homeric Epics S.A.Paipetis DepartmentofMechanicalEngineering&Aeronautics UniversityofPatras Patras Greece Everyefforthasbeenmadetocontactthecopyrightholdersofthearticlesandfigureswhichhave beenreproducedfromothersources.Anyonewhohasnotbeenproperlycreditedisrequestedto contactthepublishers,sothatdueacknowledgementsmaybemadeinsubsequenteditions. ISBN-13:978-1-4020-8783-7 e-ISBN-13:978-1-4020-8784-4 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2008937901 ©2008SpringerScience+BusinessMedia,B.V. Nopartofthisworkmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,microfilming,recording orotherwise,withoutwrittenpermissionfromthePublisher,withtheexception ofanymaterialsuppliedspecificallyforthepurposeofbeingentered andexecutedonacomputersystem,forexclusiveusebythepurchaserofthework. Printedonacid-freepaper 987654321 springer.com Table of Contents Preface ix Acknowledgements xiii ListofContributors xv Part1:GeneralThemes MycenaenTechnology 3 T.P.Tassios Autagreton 35 E.Mikrogiannakis Part2:MathematicsandPhysics Archimedes’CountofHomer’sCattleoftheSun 43 C.Rorres VorticesinHomer’sOdyssey–AScientificApproach 67 G.H.Vatistas TheHomericAutomataandTheirImplementation 77 D.KalligeropoulosandS.Vasileiadou TheRiverOcean:Homer’sCosmogony 85 T.Showleh TheLawsofCurvilinearMotionintheIliad 93 S.A.Paipetis Part3:Materials IronintheHomericEpics&Homer,ASensibleEcologist 103 G.Varoufakis v vi TableofContents EarlyBronzeTechnologyatLand’sEnd,NorthWesternIberia 113 B.Comendador-Rey,S.Reboreda-Morillo,W.Kockelmann,M.Macdonald, T.BellandM.Pantos Porphyra:InSearchofDyeingMethodsinAncientGreece 133 W.Nishiyama TechnologyTransferintheBronzeAge:TheCaseofaFaience-LikeBlue GlazeProducedatBread-OvenTemperatures 139 E.Pantos,J.Davidovits,M.Gelfi,G.Cornacchia,E.Bontempi, P.ColombiandL.Depero Part4:DefensiveWeapons FromHomertoHoplite:ScientificInvestigationsofGreekCopperAlloy Helmets 167 P.MantiandD.Watkinson DefensiveWeaponsinHomer 181 S.A.PaipetisandV.Kostopoulos HowtheGreeksGotAhead:TechnologicalAspectsofManufactureofa CorinthianTypeHopliteBronzeHelmetfromOlympia 205 A.J.N.W.Prag,R.Garner,E.Pantos,S.L.Bennett,J.F.W.Mosselmans, M.J.Tobin,W.Kockelmann,L.C.Chapon,N.SalvadoandT.Pradell Part5:Telecommunications TheoreticalAnalysisofTelecommunicationthrough“Friktories” 223 N.Uzunoglu Part6:Geology–Geomechanics ElementsofEngineeringGeologyandGeotechnicalEngineeringinthe HomericPoems 233 D.Zekkos,G.Athanasopoulos,A.AthanasopoulosZekkosand I.Manousakis GeologicalKnowledgeofGreeksintheEraofTrojanWar 243 I.D.Mariolakos StaticandDynamicAnalysisoftheAtreusVaultedTombinMycenae 257 P.K.Askouni,H.A.Agelopoulou,M.G.SfakianakisandD.E.Beskos TableofContents vii Part7:Medicine HomericInjuryScenesonAncientGreekPotteryRevealMedical Knowledge 269 S.Geroulanos,A.Tasouli,E.LymberopoulouandK.Papadopoulos TheHealingArtintheIliad 275 S.G.MarketosandG.J.Androutsos MedicinalHerbsandPlantsinHomer 283 G.Klimis Part8:FloraandFauna AgriculturalDevelopmentintheHomericEra 295 C.C.Thanassoulopoulos TheFaunaofGreeceandAdjacentAreasintheAgeofHomer 303 E.VoultsiadouandA.Tatolas Part9:Astronomy “EneorosMinos”andtheMinoanCalendricalAbacus 319 P.D.Gregoriades TheDivineFiresofCreation:HomericHephaestosasaComet/MeteorGod 325 A.Laoupi ACometduringtheTrojanWar? 341 S.P.Papamarinopoulos HomericCalendarandHeliosCharioteer 357 M.K.Papathanassiou HomerandOrosius:AKeytoExplainDeucalion’sFlood,Exodusand OtherTales 369 E.Spedicato Part10:Seafaring HomeratSea 377 M.T.Wright TheRednessofUlysses’Ships 385 T.Th.Katsaros viii TableofContents Part11:CulturalEnvironment Ambrosia,NectarandElaionintheHomericPoems 391 D.G.Zanni DietaryHabitsinHomer 401 S.P.Christopoulou Part12:Geography TrojanPlainandHomericTopography 415 P.Malfas Part13:GeneralInterest MêtisandtheArtificial 435 K.P.AnagnostopoulosandS.Chelidoni InterpretingtheRepresentationsontheShieldofAchilles 443 D.KalligeropoulosandS.Vasileiadou HomerandtheSo-CalledHomericQuestions 451 A.Tziropoulou-Efsthathiou AtlantisinHomerandOtherAuthorsPriortoPlato 469 S.P.Papamarinopoulos DidUlyssesTraveltoAtlantis? 509 R.W.Kühne Homer’sReferencetoWritinginProitos’Era 515 E.Polygiannaki LinguisticScienceandScriptTechnology:TheHomericEvidence 525 A.Teffeteller TheMiraculousHomericMetre 531 S.A.Paipetis Preface The present volume is based on papers presented at the international symposium “Science and Technology in Homeric Epics”, SPAP Conference Centre, Ancient Olympia,27–30August2006.Itincludesatotalof41contributions,mostlyoriginal research papers, covering diverse fields of science and technology,in the modern senseofthesewords. Theuseoftermscoinedinrelativelyrecenttimes(afterthe15thcentury)torefer to situations from times so long ago as the Mycenaean Era, may sound inappro- priate.However,carefulstudiesoftheHomericEpicsbyspecialistsinthevarious scientific fields may convince the reader that the knowledgecontained therein re- flectsadeepunderstandingofthescienceofnatureandanabilitytoapplytechno- logicalachievementsandstructures,stronglyreminiscentofmoderntechnologyin itspresentevolutionlevel. ThequestionofknowledgecontainedintheHomericEpichad,untilrecently,re- ceivedanegativeanswer.Theseeminglyscientificknowledgeandadmirabletech- nologicalachievementspresentedhavealwaysbeenattributedtopoeticinspiration rather than to a solid scientific mind. Of course, if the latter were true, which is likelytobesometimes,itisalsotruethattheveryconceptionofanideacanconsti- tute a catalysttowardsscientific development.For example,Isaac Asimov notices thatthefirstreferencetorobotsisfoundintheIliad,i.e.tothegoldengirlsofHep- haestus,who,althoughmadeofsoullessmatter,“werelikerealyoungwomen,with senseandreason,voicealsoandstrength,andallthelearningoftheimmortals”(Il. 18.419–420).The greatdreamof Man,i.e. the possession of fullyrational,obedi- entandefficientmechanicalservants,isabouttobesubstantiatednowadays.Onthe other hand,the technicalinformationgivenin the Iliad is not sufficientto reach a justifiedconclusiononwhethersuchdevicesreallyexistedintheMycenaeanera. However,therearemanymoreexplicitcases,wherethedescriptionofastructure providessufficientdata, fromwhich,on the basis of fully realistic assumptions, it is possible to reconstruct it in the form of numerical models and/or experimental specimensand,consequently,toperformatheoreticaland/orexperimentalanalysis. ExamplesofsuchstructuresaretheshieldsofAchillesandAjax,whicharelamin- atedstructures,ofpracticallymoderntechnology,exhibitingmaximumpenetration resistance.Theiranalysisconfirmedtheirbattlebehaviour,asrecountedintheIliad, withsurprisingaccuracy.TheanalysisofCirce’sinstructiontoUlysses,onhowto crossthefearfulstraitsofScyllaandCharybdissafely,basedonthehydrodynamic investigationoftheproblem,isanotherexampleofanalyticalapproach. ix x Preface It is, of course, clear that these instances have been pinpointed by science and technologyspecialists,whosebroaderinterestshaveledthemtostudytheHomeric Epics within the frame of their own scientific area. Thus, the conclusionis drawn thatinvestigationofknowledgecontainedintheEpicscannotbebutaninterdiscip- linaryactivity.Itisfurthernotedthatmanypointsofinterestwouldnotberecogniz- ableafewdecadesagoevenbycompetentscientistsgiventhelevelofscientificand technologicalprogressatthetime.Accordingly,thenextconclusionisthatinvestig- ationofknowledgecontainedintheEpicsisalsoadiachroniceffort.Inotherwords, astudyoftheHomericEpicsmustbeperformedbythebroadestpossiblecircleof scientific specialists, but also on a continual basis, to account for new disciplines createdasscienceisprogressing. TheideaoforganizinganinternationalsymposiumonHomer’sscienceandtech- nology was born during the study of the monumentalmonograph by Constantine Zeggelis“ThescienceofnatureinHomer”,1a1891publication.Theinitialthought was “to rewrite” Zeggelis’ bookby a team of experts,each one a specialist in the respectivearea.However,fromtheendof19thcenturytothepresentdayboththe classificationandthenumberofestablishedsciences,aswellastheknowledgethey included,haschangeddramatically.Inotherwords,thescopewassomuchenlarged thatonlyaninvitationtothosemembersoftheinternationalscientificcommunity, who are dealing with the Homeric Epics from all possible aspects, was found ap- propriatetoguaranteeasatisfactoryoutcome. This choice was fully justified by the highly enthusiastic response of the aca- demiccommunity,aswellasofindependentresearchers,bothinGreeceandinter- nationally,andofthemassmedia,andlastbutnotleastoflaypeople,justifyingthe titleawardedtotheEpicsas“TheGospeloftheHellenicNation”.Finally,besides thefactthatnumeroussubjectsremainunexplored,severaldistinguishedscientists sentregretsfornotbeingabletoattend.Thiscalledforthepreparationofasecond symposiumwiththesamethemeinthenearfuture. Thecontentsofthepresentvolumeareclassifiedin13parts:Outoftwogeneral lectures,onein-depthpresentationofMycenaeanTechnology,coveringallclasses ofactivities,wasdeliveredbyProfessorTheodossiosP.Tassios,Greece.Inthislec- ture, the sometimes inexplicabletendencyof certain researchersto underminethe scientificand/ortechnologicalachievementsofAncientGreeks,asbasedonknow- ledge originating from the Orient or on imported know-how,and in fact by argu- ments unsupportedor irrelevant, is addressed. This opposeslong-held tendencies, which,withequallyextremeattitude,usedtoexpressprobablydisproportionatead- miration for the Greek achievements: unprejudicedresearch is, of course, the an- swer,whichisgreatlyfacilitatedbythemodernscientificresearchmeansavailable. ThesecondlecturebyProfessorEmmanuelMikroyannakis,Greece,dealswiththe interpretation of the term “autagreton”, as it appears in the Epics, which reaches theastonishingconclusionthatitreferstotechnicaldevicesnotjustautomatedbut “intelligent”, i.e. capable of autonomous action, making decisions after a proper assessmentofexternalexcitations. 1 Zeggelis,C.D.(1891), TheScience ofNatureinHomer,reprinted bytheUniversityofPatras PresswithanIntroductionbyS.A.Paipetis,Patras,1997[inGreek].