Ancient Greeks and Romans

L. alumen, alum) The ancient Greeks and Romans used alum as an astringent and as a mordant in dyeing. In 1761 de Morveau proposed the name alumine for the base in alum, and Lavoisier, in 1787, thought this to be the oxide of a still undiscovered metal. 

Filtration is the separation of two phases, particulate form, ie, soHd particles or Hquid droplets, and continuous, ie, Hquid or gas, from a mixture by passing the mixture through a porous medium. This article discusses the more predominant separation of soHds from Hquids. Filtration of soHd particles or Hquid droplets from gases is dealt with elsewhere (see Airpollution controlmethods). The oldest recorded appHcations of filtration are the purifications of wine and water practiced by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Cake filters, such as the rotary vacuum filter and the filter press, were developed much later from the necessity to filter sewage. 

WaterwaH furnaces were employed by the ancient Greeks and Romans for household services. A water boHet, found in Pompeii, was constmcted of cast bton2e and incorporated the water-tube principle (2). The earhest recorded instance of boHets performing mechanical work (130 Bc) was Hero s engine... 

The collection and use of lac by Indian aboriginal tribes probably predates recorded history. Ancient Greek and Roman writers were aware of lac. By the late fifteenth century, European craftsmen were attracted to the use of lac as a finish for cabinets and other furniture because of its gloss and luster. 

Basic toxicity has been identified from careful observation and experimentation in the workplace and in the lab. Over the years, from the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and probably long before that, we have learned that exposure to certain substances can cause bodily harm. Hippocrates, the founder of medicine in Ancient Greece, described the occurrence of lead poisoning among lead miners and metal workers as long ago as 400 B.C. The Roman historian, Pliny, described in his encyclopedia in the second half of the first century A.D., the dangers of mercury poison-... 

Ginger s use was well known among the ancient Greeks and Romans, and was a common import from Asia during the eleventh and thirteenth... 

Those early metallurgists who were clever enough to learn how to transform crude ores to shiny metals were prohahly also observant enough to discover that some of the materials being worked with could harm them. Some of the earliest written accounts of humans on earth provide evidence that the ancient Greeks and Romans were well aware of the poisonous properties of certain plants and metals. The case of the poisoning of Socrates with hemlock is only the most famous of the early references to the deliberate use of certain plants for suicidal or homicidal purposes. 

An important type of stichomancy is bibliomancy, which usually restricts itself to the use of holy books. Stichomancy was practiced by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Often the works of Homer or Virgil were used and are still used today. More modern stichomancers use the works of Shakespeare, Nostradamus, or Edgar Cayce. 

India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and northern Africa centuries before it was used by ancient Greeks and Romans. In ancient times, it was used as a spice, preservative, and medicine. Pepper was such a valuable commodity that it was often used as a medium of exchange and as a form of money. Centers of commerce such as Alexandria, Constantinople (Istanbul), Calicut, and Venice arose from the trade of pepper. Arab monopolies for pepper (and other spices) kept prices high, making pepper a spice for the wealthy. To break the Arab monopolies, European powers explored for direct trade routes to India. Portugal built on Vasco da Gama s (1469-1524) trade route completed in 1488 to India to establish its own pepper monopoly in the 16th century. This in turn prompted Spain to search for western routes to India. 

The sea hare Dolabella auricularia was recorded to exhibit exceptionally potent biological properties, which were known to certain ancient Greeks and Romans. The most important antineoplastic constituent of D. auricularia was dolastatin 10 (362) (283), a linear pentapeptide that was reported to be the most potent antineoplastic substance known to date. The absolute configuration of362 was ascertained by total synthesis (284). Synthetic studies revealed that the initial structure (285) proposed for dolastatin 3 was incorrect (286-291). The structure of dolastatin 3 was reassigned as 363, and its absolute chirality was established by synthesis (292). The minimum energy conformation of 363 in solution was estab-... 

About 1000 B.C., Homer referred to the poppy plant in the Odyssey, where it was described as a tea. This tea was offered to travelers as a beverage of hospitality. - Ancient Greeks and Romans called opium a painkiller. But "joy poppies" were not cultivated in India and China before 1000 A.D., and opium smoking in the Far East did not begin until well after the fifteenth century. 

Cardamom has a history as old as the human race. It is mentioned in ancient Vedic texts, by Theophrastus in the fourth century bc and later by Dioscorides in the 5th century bc. Cardamom grew in the gardens of the King of Babylon in 720 bc. It was used as early as the 4th century bc by Indian Ayurvedic experts and by ancient Greeks and Romans. Cardamom is believed to be a native of India. It was probably imported into Europe in 1214 ad. By 1000 ad, it was a good traded from India westwards (http //www.primaryinfo.com/ cardamom.htm). 

Strangely, the ancient Greeks and Romans paid hardly any attention to the fiber in this plant, although its use for ropes and sails had been introduced from Gaul as early as the third century B.C. It was not until the first century A.D. that Pliny the Elder outlined the grades and preparations of hemp fiber. 

Athletes associate performance with diet. Meat became a staple of ancient Greek and Roman athletes as they attempted to achieve the strength and endurance of carnivorous members of the animal kingdom. As knowledge of nutrition and muscle physiology increased, athletes became convinced that to increase muscle mass and strength required increased dietary protein. However, nutrition textbooks (1,2) and the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA s) established by the National Academy of Sciences (.3) state that there is little or no need for extra protein for exercise. 

No one is sure when alum was first used by humans. The ancient Greeks and Romans were familiar with the compound alum. It was mined in early Greece where it was sold to the Turks. The Turks used the compound to make a beautiful dye known as Turkey red. Records indicate that the Romans were using alum as early as the first century bce. 

By contrast, "some among the ancient Greeks and Romans apparently regarded this desire for approbation) as not only pardonable but laudable" (Lovejoy 1961, p. 96). Aristotle, for instance, said that unambitious people care too tittle about esteem and honor, while ambitious people care too much (Nicomachtan Ethics ucrpn-yo). 

The prohibition of the use of poison in warfare is rooted in taboos found in moral and cultural traditions around the world. Ancient Greeks and Romans observed a prohibition on the use of poison and poisonous weapons and the Manu Law of War in India in 500 bc banned the use of such weapons. A thousand years later, regulations on the conduct of war drawn from the Koran by the Saracens prohibited poisoning. 

Glossy surfaces are obtained by dipping or painting the ceramic body with a slip, which is actually a diluted clay mixture with a similar composition to the body clay. Ancient Greek and Roman pottery are well-known examples for this technique. 

The ancient Greeks and Romans fumigated their homes by burning sulfur. The sulfur dioxide formed... 

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