The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World

"This is an excellent book that will serve classicists reliably as a basic work of reference. The level of scholarship is very high, the writing generally clear, the breadth of the coverage impressive. Oleson's organization and editing are something of a marvel. An important contribution is the Handbook's demonstration through repeated examples, of our ability to define, comprehend, and appreciate the scale of things in antiquity." - George W. Houston, Journal of Roman Archaeology "A new milestone for Oxford and for the field. Each of the eight parts to the book is a stand-alone tour de force that deserves enormous praise for its organization, its comprehensiveness, and its promise for impacting future studies. This handbook has indeed set a new standard, and will leave a large and definitive intellectual footprint on a new age of scholarship." - Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, Technology & Culture "To summarize the entire collection in a word, I would simply say 'magisterial.' This volume meets the lofty expectations of the Oxford University Press for its Handbooks series and the equally high standards set forth by its editor. It is not by definition a monographic treatment, but for what is it-a superb research tool intended to inform and to guide scholars and advanced students approaching an unfamiliar field-there is nothing of equal importance now available. One can purchase this handbook with confidence that it will have a long shelf life and provide an invaluable gateway to the world of engineering and ancient technology in classical antiquity for years to come." - Robert L. Hohlfelder, American Journal of Archaeology "The various survey and analytical essays in this volume provide specific answers to questions relating to ancient technology and engineering in classical antiquity and serve as an excellent starting point for further investigation by providing current bibliographies of major scholarship on the subjects covered. The embracing purpose of this series, I believe, is to make the Oxford Handbooks the acknowledged first place to go to gain entry into an unfamiliar aspect of the ancient world. If such is the aspiration for this new series, Oleson's volume meets and exceeds the goal and, in doing so, sets the gold standard for other handbook volumes now in preparation for publication by the Oxford University Press and other publishing houses." -- Robert L. Hohlfelder, American Journal of Archaeology "The finished product represents a new milestone for Oxford and for the field. Each of the eight parts to the book is a stand-alone tour de force that deserves enormous praise for its organization, its comprehensiveness, and its promise for impacting future studies." -- Technology and Culture "One may make it clear, right from the start, that this is a superb production, ably edited by John Oleson, full and comprehensive, and, being devoted to technology, filling a long-felt gap." -- Classical Review "It can be said at once that this is an excellent book that will serve classicists reliably as a basic work of reference. The level of scholarship is very high, the writing generally clear, the breadth of coverage impressive." -- Journal of Roman Archaeology