Studies in Medieval Islamic Technology From Philo to al-Jazari – from Alexandria to Diyar Bakr

These studies represent the major contributions to the history of Islamic technology during the second half of the 20th century beside Donald Hill’s separate publications on the mechanical devices of Pseudo-Apollonios, the Banu Musa and al-Jazari. A gifted linguist who was trained as a historian of Islamic civilisation, and also a professional engineer, Hill achieved his goal of setting his subject on a solid basis. The papers reprinted here include his early studies of the trebuchet and the camel and horse, several overviews of different aspects of Islamic technology, articles on specific topics such as the Cairo Nilometer and al-Biruni’s geared luni-solar device, and the first notice of an extremely important Andalusian treatise on mechanical devices discovered in 1975.

Contents: Donald Routledge Hill (1922-1994);Donald Routledge Hill - publications; Islamic Technology (General): Islamic fine technology and its influence on the development of European horology; Medieval Arabic mechanical technology; From Philo to al-Jazari; Arabic fine technology and its influence on European mechanical engineering; Arabic mechanical engineering: survey of the historical sources; Information on engineering in the works of Muslim geographers; Mining technology; Hydraulic machines; Greek Technology: Les oevres de Héron et leur contexte historique; Construction of a fluting machine by Apollonius the Carpenter; Islamic Technology (Specific): The nilometer; The Banu Musa and their Book of Ingenious Devices; Qusta ibn Luqa; Al-Biruni’s Mechanical Calendar; Al-Jazari; Notice of an important al-Jazari manuscript; Technology in Andalusia: A treatise on machines by Ibn Mu’adh Abu ’Abdallah al-Jayyani; Andalusian technology; Technology and War: Trebuchets; The camel and the horse and the early Arab conquests; Indexes.

Donald R. Hill. Edited by David A. King, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University Germany