The ancient engineers

L. Sprague De Camp

at 250 WPM

7h 44m

The average reader, reading at a speed of 250 WPM, would take 7h 44m to read The ancient engineers.

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16

days at 30 min/day

464

total minutes

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The ancient engineers

by L. Sprague De Camp

1987

Ballantine

464

0345293479

Description

This book is about those whose genius enabled the Egyptians to build their pyramids, the Phoenicians to cross stormy seas, the Romans to erect magnificent public buildings--that this carefully researched and fascinatingly written account of the advance of early technology has been written.Mr. de Camp describes the methods used by early irrigators, architects, and military engineers to build and maintain structures to serve their rulers' wants. He tells, for example, how the Pharaohs erected obelisks and pyramids, how Nebuchadnezzar fortified Babylon, how Dionysios' ordnance department invented the catapult, how the Chinese built the Great Wall, and how the Romans fashioned their roads, baths, sewers, and aqueducts. He recounts many intriguing anecdotes: an Assyrian king putting up no-parking signs in Nineveh; Plato inventing a water clock with an alarm to signal the start of his classes; Heron of Alexandria designing a coin-operated holy-water fountain; a Chinese emperor composing a poem to be inscribed on a clock invented by one of his civil servants.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many pages are in The ancient engineers?

This edition of The ancient engineers has approximately 464 pages. Please note, this is an estimate and the exact page count can vary between hardcover, paperback, and e-book versions.

How long does it take to read The ancient engineers?

For most readers, The ancient engineers typically takes between 9h 40m and 6h 27m to complete. This is based on the book's length of approximately 116,000 words and common reading speeds.

Here's a detailed breakdown: • Continuous reading at 250 WPM: approximately 7h 44m of focused reading • Casual reading (30 minutes/day): you could finish in roughly 16 days • Estimated word count: 116,000 words

Your individual reading time will vary based on your personal reading pace, the amount of daily reading time, and your familiarity with the subject matter.

What is the word count of The ancient engineers?

The estimated word count for The ancient engineers is approximately 116,000 words. This figure is calculated using industry-standard methods that consider genre-specific word density patterns, typical formatting and layout characteristics, and standard words-per-page ratios for published books.

This is an approximation — actual word count may vary based on font size, formatting, edition, and the presence of illustrations or charts.

Who is the author of The ancient engineers?

The ancient engineers was written by L. Sprague De Camp.

When was The ancient engineers published?

The publication date for this specific edition is 1987. The original work may have been published on a different date.