Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology; Part 6, Military Technology: Missiles and Sieges

Needham Joseph. Science and Civilisation in China Vol. 5 Chemistry and Chemical Technology - Part 6 Military Technology - Missiles and Sieges 1994 [pdf 316sc 591c. 62.20mb] Needham Joseph. Science and Civilisation in China Volume V Part 6 is the first of the three parts dealing with the arts of war in ancient and medieval China. (Part 7--on gunpowder and all aspects of explosive weapons--has already been published, while Part 8--on cavalry techniques and signaling--is still in preparation.) The present volume opens with an introduction on Chinese attitudes to warfare in general. Four major sections follow: on the making and use of simple bows; on the crossbow, the standard weapon of the Han armies, and its introduction to the Western world; on the pre-gunpowder forms of artillery, including the invention of the trebuchet; and on the art of siege warfare in which the Mohists were particularly interested. There is a good deal of material on siege-warfare available, and this final section is a substantial one, covering all aspects in detail. v. 1. Introductory orientations. v. 2. History of scientific thought. v. 3. Mathematics and the sciences of the heavens and the earth. v. 4. Physics and physical technology: pt. 1. Physics, with the collaboration of Wang Ling and the special co-operation of Kenneth Girdwood Robinson. pt. 2. Mechanical engineering. pt. 3. Civil engineering and nautics with the collaboration of Wang Ling and Lu Gwei-Djen. v. 5. Chemistry and chemical technology: pt. 1. Paper and printing / by Tsien Tsuen-hsuin. pt. 2. Spagyrical discovery and invention: magisteries of gold and immortality, with the collaboration of Lu Gwei-Djen. pt. 3. Spagyrical discovery and invention: historical survey, from cinnabar elixirs to synthetic insulin. pt. 4. Spagyrical discovery and invention: apparatus, theories, and gifts. pt. 5. Spagyrical discovery and invention : physiological alchemy / with the collaboration of Lu Gwei-Djen. pt. 6. Military technology, missiles and sieges. pt. 7. Military technology, the gunpowder epic. pt. 9. Textile technology, spinning and reeling / by Dieter Kuhn. pt. 12. Ceramic technology / by Rose Kerr and Nigel Wood. pt. 13. Mining / by Peter J. Golas. v. 6. Biology and biological technology. pt. 1. Botany. pt. 2. Agriculture / by Francesca Bray. pt. 3. Agro-industries and forestry / by Christian Daniels, Nicholas K. Menzies. pt. 5. Fermentations and food science / by H.T. Huang. pt. 6. Medicine v. 7. Language and logic / by Christoph Harbsmeier. pt. 1-

Science and Civilisation in China Volume V Part 6 is the first of the three parts dealing with the arts of war in ancient and medieval China. (Part 7-on gunpowder and all aspects of explosive weapons-has already been published, while Part 8-on cavalry techniques and signaling-is still in preparation.) The present volume opens with an introduction on Chinese attitudes to warfare in general. Four major sections follow: on the making and use of simple bows; on the crossbow, the standard weapon of the Han armies, and its introduction to the Western world; on the pre-gunpowder forms of artillery, including the invention of the trebuchet; and on the art of siege warfare in which the Mohists were particularly interested. There is a good deal of material on siege-warfare available, and this final section is a substantial one, covering all aspects in detail.

In a foregoing section the current of our enquiries led us in the direction of naval combat,a and the time could therefore not be long postponed when we must come to study the inventions connected with combat itself.