Fearsome Engines

It can be seen from the continued popularity of televisions programmes such as 'What the Romans Did for Us', that there is considerable interest in historical engineering. Such a study not only reinforces the fundamentals of science and engineering but also provides an opportunity to evaluate a variety of evidence and reach considered and logical conclusions. It is an area of study, however, which poses considerable problems for both historians and engineers. Historians frequently are confronted with sources, written, visual, or both, which render it hard to determine the exact nature of the engineering techniques used in the past, while modern engineers must develop a historical perspective to understand how engineers used the materials and knowledge which was available to them.

In recent years, a number of productive projects have been undertaken to combine the skills of historians and engineers to solve mysteries of past engineering. Among many have been the reconstruction of siege engines capable of throwing large weights long distances. Engineers now understand how this was achieved but marvel at the medieval engineers who did it without modern mathematical tools and computers.