dissabte, 1 de maig del 2021

From technology in the war to other technologies

The Greeks were very advanced in military technology. It is knows the evolution in technology sector provided from military experiences.
In the Greek history we find a lot of singular chapters in which technology was decisive. For example, the world's first flamethrower was used in one of the battles of the Peloponnesian War. It was used by the army of Boeotia, belonging to the Spartan side. They built it using the trunk of a straight tree, which split into two halves, emptied and then joined to get a hollow tube. They hung a container full of bitumen and sulphur on one end and a bellows on the other. The device was placed in an armoured car, to protect itself from the enemy arrows. When approaching the rival defence it was pointed with the tube and when pressing the bellows an immense flare came out of the container, lit fire and opened a gap that allowed the assailants penetrate enemy defences.
Furthermore, another of the Greek technological innovations in the military field occurred around 390 B.C. in the time of Dionysus I. Its engineers were the first to create artefacts capable of throwing large stones of up to 45 kg, the catapults, which would become increasingly important. With these catapults, large javelins and other projectiles could be thrown over high walls, pits and battlements. Rocking mobile bridge capable of overcoming obstacles such as bristles with sharp stakes, walls and enemy redoubts.
With these examples we discover the importance of Greek culture in the military technology evolution and in technology in general terms.
Technological evolution is analyzed in XXV Cable and Broadband Catalonia Congress (CECABLE, Auditorium Blanquerna in Barcelona, 7th ​​June 2021). Come in!