Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Each volume focuses on a different type of technology used by ancient world civilizations. After an informative overview section, chapters discuss particular civilizations and their specific technologies. The texts successfully show both the uniqueness of and similarities among the devices or techniques. Numerous captioned photographs, sidebars, and quotations add supplementary information. Epilogues relate how ancient technology is still being used today. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

ALA Booklist (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

This entry in the Technology in Ancient Cultures series points out that what's considered techy is relative to its time: grease may have been just as advanced to ancient Greeks as computers are to people today. In applying this concept to the history of medicine, the first chapter sets out some basic facts, beginning with the health of early hunter-gatherers; subsequent chapters look at Egypt, India, China, the Americas, Greece, and Rome, with an epilogue leading up to our current century. The consistent format and single-volume presentation demonstrate the similarities and differences among humans and their cures, whether magic, plants, chemicals, or tools. The design is modern, with text supported by sidebars, quotes, and colorful photographs and captioned illustrations. The authors (a medical journalist and a school librarian) explore not only what early health care was but what archaeology has revealed about it, and include a time line, a glossary, source notes, and print and electronic bibliographies, all fully indexed.

School Library Journal (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

WOODS, Michael &; Mary B. Woods . Ancient Communication Technology: From Hieroglyphics to Scrolls . ISBN 978-0-7613-6529-7 ; ISBN 978-0-7613-7272-1 . LC 2010025487. WOODS, Michael &; Mary B. Woods . Ancient Computing Technology: From Abacuses to Water Clocks . ISBN 978-0-7613-6528-0 ; ISBN 978-0-7613-7271-4 . LC 2010027927. WOODS, Michael &; Mary B. Woods . Ancient Construction Technology: From Pyramids to Fortresses . ISBN 978-0-7613-6527-3 ; ISBN 978-0-7613-7270-7 . LC 2010025582. WOODS, Michael &; Mary B. Woods . Ancient Machine Technology: From Wheels to Forges . ISBN 978-0-7613-6523-5 ; ISBN 978-0-7613-7266-0 . LC 2010025583. WOODS, Michael &; Mary B. Woods . Ancient Medical Technology: From Herbs to Scalpels . ISBN 978-0-7613-6522-8 ; ISBN 978-0-7613-7265-3 . LC 2010028445. WOODS, Michael &; Mary B. Woods . Ancient Transportation Technology: From Oars to Elephants . ISBN 978-0-7613-6524-2 ; ISBN 978-0-7613-7267-7 . LC 2010025522. WOODS, Michael &; Mary B. Woods . Ancient Warfare Technology: From Javelins to Chariots . ISBN 978-0-7613-6525-9 ; ISBN 978-0-7613-7268-4 . LC 2010031147. ea vol: 96p. (Technology in Ancient Cultures). map. photos. reprods. bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. index. notes. Web sites. CIP. Twenty-First Century Books . 2011. PLB $31.93; ebook $23.95. Gr 6-8 Like the "How They Made Things Work!" series above, this one tackles innovations from ancient cultures, but here they are grouped together by type rather than by area or period. At first, this approach seems clever and useful, and it works well in Medical Technology . But in other cases, the inventions overlap to the degree that the books either refer to one anotherand depend on the information in other titlesor they repeat themselves. This is particularly true in the introductions to each book, which are almost identical, and in the beginning of each final chapter, which contains an almost identical lead-in paragraph. Many of the photos are also reused across titles. Each book is divided into regions, and these sections often refer to one another where inventions are shared or borrowed as well. The lack of diagrams showing how the science of particular inventions works makes it hard to apply the information in a science classroom. The titles miss out on showing the impact of the innovations on the cultures in which they were developed. In addition, the treatment of American cultures is inconsistent; these sections often try to cover too much and sometimes venture into a time period that, according to the final section of each book, is "after the ancients." The historical documentation and photographs of archaeological finds are excellent highlights, and the short (frequently repetitive) sentences make the titles approachable for reluctant readers, but the series fails to live up to its potential.