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Planning for the maintenance of an engineering structure as an integral part of its design has become routine in modern practice. Yet, by necessity, this preoccupation was also present in numerous ancient projects. For example planning of the irrigation system of Sechuan, with its intake at Dujiangyang, obviously took into account the need to clean the intakes and to maintain the dikes and the intake control mechanisms. The designers also anticipate the need for a procedure to dewater the works for maintenance during low-flow periods. Canal cleaning was a continuous activity in the old land of Sumer. From the archives of Mari, we know that these maintenance efforts were tedious and

One may be skeptical of the overall contribution of Hellenistic science – its relative dis­connection with practical application, or its failure to document the significant revolu­tion represented by hydraulic energy. But the incontestable fact remains that in the study of the science and techniques of Antiquity preceding the Middle Ages, one cannot avoid marking pre – and post-Alexandria. The Hellenistic period represents a watershed, or divide, that is reflected in the two distinct parts of this book.

The earliest technology appeared before the turmoil that followed the epic reign of Alexander the Great. The elements of this technology can be briefly listed in the order of their appearance as follows:

– dams, made of rocks or earth, whose earliest traces are found on the Syro – Mesopot...

The legacy of Alexander is somewhat mixed insofar as innovation is concerned. To his credit there is the city of Alexandria, with its cultural diversity and intellectual fertility. Of course there is also Archimedes, founder of hydrostatics and supposed inventor of the “Archimedes screw”. There is also Ctesibios, inventor of the fire pump. But other inno­vations never really emerged from their cocoons to find practical application. These include the aeolipile (wind ball) of Heron, a device whose further development could easily have led to the steam engine. There were many other such inventions, and seem­ingly useless gadgets, that were destined to be investigated or rediscovered by Arab sci­entists or, even later, by Leonardo da Vinci and other great thinkers of the Renaissance...