Hero in the second
century B.C. But the
ancients had little
interest in finding
practical uses for
their scientific
knowledge.
cal projects or applying their knowledge only to tools of war (Archi- medes' catapults and cranes, for instance).
Moreover, the Greeks and Romans believed that honorable wealth came from the land. Men who made money by other means-trading or industry-invested their profits in land rather than "research and de- velopment." And farmers, who enjoyed...