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The Heirs of Archimedes: Science and the Art of War through the Age of Enlightenment. Edited by Brett D. Steele and Tamera Borland. Dibner Institute Studies in the History of Science and Technology Series. Jed Z. Buchwald, general editor. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 2005. 397 pages. $55.00.
The Heirs of Archimedes is a collection of essays on the development of science and technology in relation to warfare in the period between roughly 1350 and 1800. The thesis is that early-modern mathematicians, chemists, and natural philosophers; mechanics, architects, and engineers; and military engineers, artillerymen, and navigators adapted contemporary scientific theory to military practice. The editors refer to Archimedes in the title because the ancient Greek, who is best known today for his mathematical and scientific accomplishments, was more famous during the early Renaissance as the designer and coordinator of the defenses of Syracuse against a Roman siege in 212 BC-a defense that ultimately failed and cost Archimedes his life. The point is that Archimedes did not invent any new defensive works, engines, or systems; instead, he integrated the existing science and technology to better exploit its capabilities. For the editors he thus represents a personal union of science and the art of war. Their contention is that Renaissance and Enlightenment...