It is commonly thought that ancient engineers and designers had a relatively low level of scientific knowledge and that any success they had was achieved through trial and error. If ancient devices are investigated more closely, however, we can see that such a belief is unfounded. What follows are just a few examples that demonstrate how much ancient designers knew. In fact, design rules and concepts were employed extensively by the engineers of ancient times, leading to machine design from machine elements and to the design of a machine as a system.
With regard to the above, it may be interesting to consider the “Delian Problem,” a legend (Theon of Smyrna) about a disastrous pestilence on the Isle of Delos. The oracle of the god Apollo declared that the god wanted a cubic marble altar built for him, twice the size of the previous one. The inhabitants built a new...
