Resources
1. Interactive map of all the Roman
roads: www.omnesviae.org
2. Important ancient Greek inventions: www.enchantedlearning.
com/inventors/ greece.shtml
3. Construct an aqueduct: www.
pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/
roman/ aqueduct.html
how things work. For example, early on
they figured out that the sun was the cen-
ter of the solar system and that the moon
rotated around the earth in a predict-
able fashion. In 200 B.C., Aristarchus of
Samos was confident about this fact, but
1800 years later it stirred up a huge hulla-
baloo whenever Copernicus talked about
it.
2 Hippocrates of Cos discovered that
there were scientific reasons people get
sick. When he made diagnoses, he pre-
scribed helpful changes in diet, a good
bath, and plenty of sleep. Most got bet-
ter with these simple modifications, and
now physicians swear a Hippocratic Oath
to “do no harm.” Too bad most don’t still
write prescriptions for a delicious meal, a
long bubble bath, and a nap—I’d go to the
doctor more often.
The Greeks coined the term philosophy,
“the pursuit of knowledge,” to label their interest
in how things work.
anything, anywhere—even under water
and in shifting earthquake zones.
If you don’t think concrete sounds too
rousing, go visit the Pantheon in Rome.
Almost 2,000 years old, this treasure has
been in continuous use. The resplendent
marble veneer still gleams in the largest
unreinforced concrete dome ever built.
Of course the Romans can thank centuries of math, science, and geometry pioneers for all that architectural awesomeness. The Roman specialty was applied
science. This is why we know fewer Roman scientists by name but enjoy more
standing Roman ruins on vacation in
many places on three continents.
Less dazzling but more remarkable
was the vast network of Roman roads.
Consider, if you will, how often your local road system needs repair. With this
in mind, you’ll better appreciate that
Roman roads were in use decades and
even centuries rather than days before
they needed major repairs. We can estimate there were around 50,000 miles
of Roman roads, all built painstakingly
by hand. Many of those roads are still
in existence, albeit as underlayment for
modern highways throughout Europe
and beyond.
Don’t mistakenly assign the best advances in the sciences to modern times.
When it comes to understanding, we can
stand on the shoulders of giants only if
we have enough wisdom to do so. “With
the ancient is wisdom; and in length of
days understanding” (Job 12: 12).
Amy Barr is a homeschool mother of
three and a full-time instructor of other
home-educated students as co-founder of
The Lukeion Project, www.lukeion.org.
As an archaeologist, she spent more than
a decade excavating sites throughout the
Mediterranean and teaching Classics at
the college level. Now she and her husband,
Regan Barr, offer their expertise through
live online workshops and college preparatory high school courses about the Classical
world, Latin, and Greek. The two of them
lead annual family tours to the Mediterranean and invite you to join them for a tour
of the best sites in Greece, October 2012.
Endnotes:
1. “How Thales Was Able to ‘Predict’ a Solar Eclipse
without the Help of Alleged Mesopotamian
Wisdom” by Dirk L. Couprie; Early Science and
Medicine (2004), pp. 321–337.
2. “The Copernicus of Antiquity” source: “The Nature of Philosophical Problems and Their Roots
in Science,” by K. R. Popper; The British Journal
for the Philosophy of Science, 1952.
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